Former U.S. Olympic swimmer and Colorado Springs resident Klete Keller was sentenced Friday to three years of probation, including six months of home detention, for his involvement in the Jan. 6 riot.
Keller, 41, was indicted on seven federal counts but pleaded guilty to a sole count of obstruction of Congress, which is a felony, after reaching a deal with prosecutors.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon also ordered Keller complete 360 hours of community service, according to The Associated Press.
Though Keller could have faced 21 to 27 months of imprisonment, federal prosecutors asked the judge to issue a lighter sentence — 10 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release — for his cooperation with investigators.
Keller was one of the first people to publicly agree to a plea agreement for his involvement in the Jan. 6 riot and for almost three years, he has cooperated with the government’s investigation into the attack on the Capitol and met with government officials to describe the people around him and what happened that day, court documents said.
“A former Olympian with an opportunity to see up close America’s ideals and represent its position in the world, Keller was in a unique position to know better,” prosecutors wrote. “He should be punished, and his punishment should include imprisonment. But he has also shown genuine remorse and, more importantly, he has tried to right his wrong for nearly three years.”
In a letter addressed to the judge, Keller said he felt ashamed and “profoundly embarrassed” for breaching the Capitol.
“As a former member of the United States Olympic Swimming Team, my behavior set a terrible example for young people who looked up to me,” Keller wrote in a letter filed in the U.S. District Court of Columbia. “I take full responsibility for my inexcusable actions. I will accept my punishment with humility and serve my sentence in peace.”
The five-time Olympic medalist was charged in February 2021 after he was seen in a video among the crowds at the Jan. 6 riots, wearing a red, white and blue USA jacket.
In the 8-page letter to the judge, Keller said he flew to D.C. to attend former President Donald Trump’s rally on Jan. 6 and joined a crowd walking inside the Capitol after seeing people climbing up scaffolding and smelling tear gas.
“I knew I shouldn’t be there, but it seemed like an act of civil disobedience,” Keller wrote. As he walked through the building, he shouted “obnoxious, hostile slogans” at police officers.
He said police began to push the crowd out of the rotunda and he exited the building. When he got back to the hotel, he said he “felt sick” seeing himself in news coverage and turned himself in to federal authorities in Denver five days later.
Shortly after he was charged, he resigned from Hoff & Leigh, a commercial real estate firm in Colorado Springs, but has since been rehired, Keller said.
“I hope my case serves as a warning to anyone who rationalizes illegal conduct, especially in a moment of political fervor,” Keller wrote. “The consequences of my behavior will follow me and my family for the rest of our lives. I disappointed my co-workers and former swimming teammates who depended on me to use good judgment.”
At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, the former athlete repeatedly resisted officers’ attempts to remove him from the building, where he remained for nearly an hour, chanting “F— Nancy Pelosi” and “F— Chuck Schumer!,” court documents stated.
Keller is one of at least 19 Coloradans charged with crimes tied to the Jan. 6 riot, many of whom have been sentenced and some who are still awaiting trial.