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Washington — A U.S. Olympic gold medalist in swimming who admitted to being part of the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and obstructing Congress’ work in certifying the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election that day was sentenced Friday to a few years probation and 6 months of dwelling detention.
Klete Keller pleaded responsible in 2021 to the felony crime of obstruction of an official continuing after he was acknowledged contained in the Capitol Rotunda in the course of the riot due to a U.S.A. athletic jacket he wore. He admitted to later attempting to delete proof on his telephone and throwing away the jacket, in response to court docket data.
The Justice Division says he has since cooperated with investigators and helped in varied instances, help that they stated must be credited at sentencing.
“If there was one case that screamed out for probation, that is it,” Choose Richard Leon stated Friday as he opted to not impose any jail time. The choose referred to as the case very traditional and distinct from the opposite Jan. 6 instances he has presided over, noting Keller’s regret and need to serve.
“Klete Derik Keller as soon as wore the American flag as an Olympian. On January 6, 2021, he threw that flag in a trash can,” prosecutors wrote of their pre-sentencing filings, urging the choose to condemn the previous Olympic athlete to 10 months in jail. The defendant, they stated, didn’t depart the Capitol when police demanded and as a substitute selected to remain “as a result of his most popular candidate misplaced an election.”
“He put the officers, Members of Congress, their employees, and everybody else inside in peril,” prosecutors argued in court docket filings.
Keller swam for the U.S. in three consecutive Summer season Olympics starting in 2000 in Sydney. He was a member of the groups that received gold within the 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay in Athens in 2004 and once more Beijing in 2008. He additionally received two bronze medals in particular person occasions and one silver in one other relay.
However Keller and his protection crew requested for leniency, telling the choose in court docket filings that he now “acknowledges the gravity of his involvement” within the assault on Jan. 6 and has a spouse and kids to take care of.
“The sum whole of Mr. Keller’s actions whereas contained in the Capitol constructing will be described as follows: mulling across the Rotunda taking footage and movies, observing a gaggle of protesters close to the Ohio Clock Room partaking with a line of cops—throughout which era Mr. Keller yelled, ‘F*** Nancy Pelosi’ and ‘F*** Chuck Schumer,'” they wrote, “and brush[ed] apart a police officer’s hand from his arm who was trying to direct the bigger crowd out of the Rotunda.”
Keller himself wrote a letter to the choose forward of Friday’s proceedings through which he stated he “deeply remorse[s]” his actions.
“I broke necessary legal guidelines that shield the general public servants who work on the Capitol,” Keller wrote to Choose Leon, including, “I hope my case serves as a warning to anybody who rationalizes unlawful conduct, particularly in a second of political fervor.”
In court docket on Friday, Keller admitted his actions had triggered “injury to the electoral course of,” and he apologized to the victims together with members of Congress and those that voted within the 2020 election.
Prosecutors informed the choose that the gold medalist had cooperated early and sometimes with the federal investigation into the assault, which they stated “undoubtedly reached 1000’s of others weighing whether or not to show themselves in, plead responsible, and even cooperate.”
“Keller’s conduct on January 6 was grave and warrants severe punishment,” prosecutors wrote in court docket flings. “His cooperative conduct after, nonetheless, can also be related.”
The prosecutor on Friday informed the court docket that regret issues, and he, too, struggled to find out which sentence can be a “simply final result” for the case.
In sentencing Keller, Leon stated he expects the Olympian to finish 360 hours of neighborhood service, together with by talking to college students in regards to the classes he discovered because of the Jan. 6 assault.
“I count on you to succeed,” Leon informed Keller, who replied that he would not let the choose down.
Leaving court docket on Friday night, Keller’s legal professional stated he was pleased with the outcome.
Stefan Becket contributed to this report.
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