A five-time Olympic swimming medalist pleaded guilty to a felony charge on Wednesday related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol Complex during the Jan. 6 riot.
The Justice Department said court documents show Klete Keller — the 39-year-old swimmer who competed in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Olympics — unlawfully entered the U.S. Capitol for nearly an hour while “knowing he did not have permission to be in the building and despite being told to leave.”
“Keller admitted that, at the time he entered the building, he believed that he and others were trying to obstruct, influence and impede an official proceeding. Keller pleaded guilty this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to obstruction of Congress and agreed to fully cooperate with law enforcement in this investigation,” the readout from the Justice Department added.
The felony charge to which Keller pleaded guilty could lead to prison time, but no sentencing date has been set. Another rioter who was the first to plead guilty to the same charge was given an eight-month prison sentence. Six other charges were dropped as part of the plea deal.
“Keller admitted to entering the Capitol building around 2:39 p.m. on Jan. 6 through a hallway on the west side of the building. He was wearing a red, white and blue jacket with the letters ‘USA’ on the back, as well as a light-blue neck gaiter and sunglasses,” the DOJ statement said.
Additionally, the DOJ said Keller acknowledged that he brushed away officers who tried to remove him from the Capitol Rotunda and yelled profane remarks about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer — both Democrats — while standing near officers laden with riot gear.
Upon leaving the riot scene, Keller acknowledged he threw away the U.S. Olympic team jacket he wore that day and smashed his phone and its memory card component, which contained photos and videos he took from inside the Capitol building, according to his plea.
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Keller grew up in Arizona and now lives in Colorado Springs.
He won two gold medals and a silver medal as a member of the 800-meter freestyle relay, along with a pair of bronze medals from 2000 to 2008.
More than 600 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol in early January, including at least 185 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, according to the Justice Department.
