(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Klete Keller, the former Olympian arrested in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021Capitol breach, has been sentenced for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the Capitol, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Keller, of Colorado Springs, was sentenced to 36 months of probation and six months of home confinement. Keller pleaded guilty to one count of felony obstruction of Congress on Sept. 29, 2021.
According to court documents, Keller, a former U.S. Olympic swimmer, traveled to Washington, D.C., from his home in Colorado to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, and to listen to former President Trump and others address the crowd.
The DOJ said after the rally, Keller marched to the U.S. Capitol building with thousands of others and at approximately 2:30 p.m., Keller breached the restricted Capitol grounds on the west side of the building and eventually climbed the stairs to the Upper West Side, passing by damaged scaffolding intended for the presidential Inauguration.
At about 2:39 p.m., Keller breached the Capitol through the open Upper West Terrace Door on the west side of the building leading to the Rotunda, and by 2:41 p.m., he and a large mob of rioters made their way down the Senate Hallway connecting the Rotunda to the Senate Chamber.
The mob began chanting at police officers in the area, shouting, “You serve us!” The rioters toward the front of the mob began pressing up against police. Keller joined the mob, moved forward and began leading chants cursing lawmakers.
The DOJ said some rioters at the front physically engaged with the officers and used a stolen riot shield to push forward while others clad in military-grade tactical gear heaved forward and shouted, “Push! Push! Push! Get in there!” After minutes of using their collective weight to move forward, open-source video shows the rioters prevailed, successfully pushing the line of officers back.
Finally, at approximately 3:13 p.m., after multiple interactions with officers, Keller exited the Rotunda and entered the East Rotunda Lobby. He remained inside the Lobby for another 17 minutes, clapping and cheering on other rioters. At around 3:30 p.m., officers finally succeeded in ejecting Keller from the Capitol.
Leaving the Capitol, court documents say that Keller was aware of the criminal nature of his actions. Keller threw his U.S.A. Olympic jacket in the trash can on the way back to his hotel. The government was never able to recover that jacket. Keller also took a hammer and smashed his phone into pieces soon after Jan. 6. Despite multiple search warrants and other legal process, the government never recovered any of Keller’s photographs or videos he recorded in or around the Capitol.
