Klete Keller Asks for Capitol Riot Sentencing Date to Be Pushed Back Again

by Riley Overend 43

June 14th, 2023 National, News

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Klete Keller asked a federal judge for his July 7 sentencing hearing to be postponed again to “further facilitate” his cooperation with ongoing law enforcement investigations into the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

In September of 2021, Keller pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal proceeding, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. The sentencing hearing was originally scheduled for May, but it was pushed back to July 7 after his attorney, Edward B. MacMahon Jr., died in March.

An outspoken supporter of former president Donald Trump, Keller was identified in videos from the insurrection wearing a U.S. Olympic Team jacket and towering above the crowd at 6-foot-6. A few days later, he turned himself in facing charges in Denver.

Keller resigned from his position at the Colorado real estate firm Hoff & Leigh after making headlines for his involvement, with the company saying it “supports the right to free speech and lawful protest but we cannot condone the actions that violate the rule of law.” However, Keller is currently listed as a broker on Hoff & Leigh’s website and Colorado real estate licensing records show he resumed working there in May of 2021.

The 41-year-old Keller is expected to receive far less time than his 20-year maximum. Paul Allard Hodgkins spent eight months behind bars in Florida after entering a guilty plea for the same felony charge two years ago in Florida.

Keller admitted to spending “a little less than one hour” inside the Capitol as part of an attempt to stop or delay certification of the electoral college vote for the 2020 election. He also said he took phone photos and videos inside the Capitol, then destroyed the phone, its memory card, and threw away the Team USA jacket within 48 hours.

According to his plea, Keller yelled, “F*** Nancy Pelosi!” and “F*** Chuck Schumer!” when he was in the rotunda.

The Capitol riot left five people dead, including a police officer. More than 1,000 people have since been arrested, the majority of whom have pleaded guilty, according to the Department of Justice.

A three-time Olympian, Keller won two gold medals as a member of the American men’s 800-meter freestyle relay team at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. He also picked up a silver in the event at Sydney 2000 in addition to a pair of bronze medals in the 400 free at Sydney 200 and Athens 2004. He competed collegiately at USC for two years from 2000-01 before turning professional. Until 2007, he trained at Michigan’s Club Wolverine under coaches Jon Urbanchek and later Bob Bowman.

Related: 

43
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

43 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
theghost
1 year ago

Klete Keller is a great man and hero, both in the water and out. This patriot should not go to jail.

jay ryan
1 year ago

He deserves a bit of leniency for holding off Thorpey in that final leg of the 800 FR.

Taa
Reply to  jay ryan
1 year ago

They should start awarding get of jail free cards to the winners at the pro series meets

Texas Forever
1 year ago

Why am I not shocked that SwimSwam would write yet another article on this but ignore the women who are working to reserve women’s sports for biological women.

Taa
Reply to  Texas Forever
1 year ago

Seems they are intentionally ignoring the Riley Gaines circus

Bama Slama
Reply to  Taa
1 year ago

Swimswam is left leaning obvi

Dean Ferris Wheel of Fortune Cookie Monster
Reply to  Taa
1 year ago

As well they should be

Briand
Reply to  Taa
1 year ago

I had to look this up. It is poor journalism to ignore a controversial issue just because it’s controversial. CNN covered it, so don’t be so fearful, This story is more relevant to swimming and sports, than the ongoing Keller coverage.

4 kick pullout
Reply to  Briand
1 year ago

There is validity to the message but the christian nationalist angle makes me worry about trans and womens safety. Regulations in sport i get but no desantis ick pls keep ur hands out of ppls business. My body my choice… just dont let me take medals from cis women. There problem solved. God doesn’t do hate btw.

ZThomas
Reply to  Briand
1 year ago

Gaines isnt “preserving” women’s sports. She is fear-mongering for personal gain. Lia Thomas would not be eligible to compete with the adoption of the new rules. Yet Gaines keeps banging that drum. The irony of her coming up in this thread is that Keller and his coconspirators continually fall for these antics. You would think Keller’s pending jail sentence would lead to sone recognition of histrionics yet here we are.

Jon
1 year ago

Only person that died that day was Ashley Babett. False liberal reporting as usual

DP Spellman
Reply to  Jon
1 year ago

Actually, Ashli Bsbbitt was the only person that died INSIDE the Capitol building. The others had incidents outside the building but their injuries and health issues caused them to pass away. Facts matter. This is not “liberal” reporting but actually accurate reporting.

Michael Andrew Wilson
Reply to  Jon
1 year ago

The chlorine got to this guy’s brain.

blueandgold
Reply to  Jon
1 year ago

Not from the USA and just dont understand how some try to minimise what went on that day…the pictures dont lie.

4 kick pullout
Reply to  blueandgold
1 year ago

Cus half this country (not so) secretly want/wanted a nazi revolution. Crazy times rn. Facebook boomers really did some damage lol

CanuckSwimmer
Reply to  Jon
1 year ago

Perhaps you should not rely on only one news source to get accurate information. Sad to see what you all are doing to yourselves down there.

Qqq
1 year ago

He needs time to shave and taper.

Sun Yangs Hammer
1 year ago

But Anthony Ervin and Maya Dirado get a postive article for heading to Capitol Hill 😤✊

maheny
Reply to  Sun Yangs Hammer
1 year ago

ikr the double standard is strong here smh

Swammer89
1 year ago

Every Republican should go to jail. And all the working class, religious and rural poor. The only people who should enjoy freedom are the obedient college educated, high income, urban and suburban elite. – is what every privileged upper-middle class American says without saying it.

Last edited 1 year ago by Swammer89
2Fat4Speed
Reply to  Swammer89
1 year ago

Gosh, I can’t up vote or down vote without it being a win for you…

jeff
Reply to  Swammer89
1 year ago

you’ll be surprised to find out that many of the upper-middle to upper class Americans are also Republicans

Sub13
Reply to  Swammer89
1 year ago

Yes, Democrats hate the working class. That’s why they always try to shame AOC because she used to be a bartender. Oh wait, it’s not Democrats that do that, is it?

Creed Ko
Reply to  Sub13
1 year ago

Except AOC is still fooling everyone. She grew up in Westchester County, one of the wealthiest in the country. Graduated cum laude from BU with degrees in international relations & economics and was an intern for Ted Kennedy. Yet the only job she could get was a bartender? Kennedy couldn’t find her a job? She chose to be a bartender in Union Square and nobody questions her about that. Such a fraud.

jeff
Reply to  Creed Ko
1 year ago

The median household income in Westchester County was like $110k… that’s not poor by any means but most people there clearly still can’t just quit work and continue to live comfortably.

Bartenders in big cities also tend to make a good amount of money. What kind of job do you think she should have gotten instead?

Michael Andrew Wilson
Reply to  Creed Ko
1 year ago

AOC runs circles around her republican counterparts (who are often twice her age and 5x her tenure).

Maybe of some of those dudes would actually do the work it might be a fair fight.

Sub13
Reply to  Creed Ko
1 year ago

I disagree, but in any event that’s not really relevant to what I said though, is it? If a party supports the working class, then members of that party shouldn’t try to humiliate someone for having a working class job, right?

It just seems absurd for a party to regularly attack members of the opposite party for having previously worked in working class jobs, but then claim they are the only ones who care about the working class.

IMO
Reply to  Creed Ko
1 year ago

AOC’s mother is/was a housekeeper in Westchester County and almost lost her home to foreclosure. AOC moved back to NY to help her mother pay the mortgage. I know someone with an advanced degree that made more money as a supermarket manager (job they had while in school), than they could using their degree after graduation. Entirely possible the bartending provided more and quicker money than trying to find a job using her degree. Stop with the lies please.

Steve Nolan
Reply to  Swammer89
1 year ago

comment image

itsnotbreaststrokeanymore
1 year ago

I actually feel a bit bad for the guy. I don’t condone his behavior. But most people get their fines and go on with their lives with very little disrupting their anonymity. Every time Klete has something change with his Jan. 6th insurrection situation, he gets an article on the leading website for the sport I assume he loves.

I hope he is out there right now telling people who are buying into the “Trump did nothing wrong with those documents” that they are being misled just like he was when being told “They stole the election and you have to fight for your country”. I hope he can help others in learning from his mistakes. Unfortunately, when your politics… Read more »

Rubber Ducky
Reply to  itsnotbreaststrokeanymore
1 year ago

Trump is a choir boy compared to Hillary and Joe.

About Riley Overend

Riley is an associate editor interested in the stories taking place outside of the pool just as much as the drama between the lane lines. A 2019 graduate of Boston College, he arrived at SwimSwam in April of 2022 after three years as a sports reporter and sports editor at newspapers …

Read More »