U.S. Olympic swimmer Klete Keller was charged Wednesday in connection with the Capitol’s deadly riots last week, according to the court report.
A criminal lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, shows that Keller is accused of obstructing law enforcement, knowingly entering or living in a restricted building or area without legal authority and violent trespassing. and disorderly conduct on the Capitol site.
On January 6, it appears that the Olympic gold medalist in the Capitol Rotunda is wearing an American jacket at the US Olympics. While protesters clashed with police, law enforcement officers were seen trying several times push the crowd back it included a man who is apparently Keller. SwimSwam, a news website covering competitive swimming, first identified Keller as possibly one of the members of a Trump-backed crowd that attacked the Capitol. The New York Times also spoke to unnamed former teammates and coaches who said he was part of the crowd.
Federal agents confirmed that Keller was partially in the videos by matching his Colorado driver’s license photo with the person seen in the footage, according to the criminal complaint signed by an FBI special agent, Matthew R. Barofsky. Keller, who is 6 inches tall, also stood out because he is one of the tallest people in the videos, the complaint said.
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Keller was part of the American swimming team at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. Along with Michael Phelps, he was a member of the relay team that won the gold medal in the 4X200m freestyle in 2004 and 2008. The team also set a new world record in 2007 during the FINA World Swimming Championships in Swimming in 2007. Before law enforcement identified Keller as a participant in the riot, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee released a statement to CBS News on Tuesday in which he condemned the action last week.
“We support the right to demonstrate peacefully in a respectful and lawful manner and to express values and views – that is what makes our democracy strong. Unfortunately, that is not what happened in this case,” the committee said.
Keller also resigned from real estate firm Hoff & Leigh in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he worked as an independent contractor, according to a statement from the company.
“Hoff & Leigh supports the right to freedom of speech and legal protest, but we cannot approve actions that violate the rule of law,” the company said.
The riot resulted in five deaths, including a Capitol police officer. House Democrats have accused President Trump of assaulting the Capitol and voted on Wednesday to accuse him for the second time. Ten House Republicans also voted in favor of the indictment.