Olympic gold medalist charged
Keller, a former USC swimmer, faces charges in connection with U.S. Capitol riot.
Klete Keller, a two-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer from USC, was charged Wednesday in connection with the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, the criminal complaint charges Keller with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building, disorderly conduct in the Capitol building and impeding law enforcement.
Keller’s presence in the Capitol rotunda Jan. 6 became public after a video posted to social media by Townhall Media senior writer Julio Rosas captured a tall, bearded man wearing a distinctive U.S. Olympic team jacket in the midst of the chaotic scene.
“At approximately fourteen minutes and thirtyeight seconds, PERSON 1 is still in the Rotunda, and the back of his jacket is again visible. PERSON 1 stands taller than a number of individuals around him and can clearly be seen as law enforcement officers repeatedly attempt to remove him and others from the Rotunda,” the complaint by FBI Special Agent Matthew R. Barofsky said.
“Additional open-source research revealed that media outlets such as SwimSwam, a news organization that covers competitive swimming and other related sports, identified this individual as possibly KLETE DERIK KELLER. Your affiant has confirmed this identification.”
It wasn’t clear whether Keller, who didn’t return a message to his cellphone, had been taken into custody.
“He’s not what people think or are making him out to be,” said Jon Urbanchek, a swimming coach who worked with Keller for several years and exchanges a couple of emails with him each month. “He’s a big body with a soft heart.”
Keller, 38, worked as an independent contractor for a commercial real estate company in Colorado Springs, Colo. He removed his social media accounts and resigned Tuesday as news spread about his appearance at the riot.
“Hoff & Leigh supports the right of free speech and lawful protest but we cannot condone actions that violate the rule of law,” the company said in a statement.
Representatives of USA Swimming and the U.S. Olympic Committee didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the charges. USC declined to comment.
Keller found stardom early thanks to his powerful 6-foot-6 frame, winning two medals at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 at age 18, then adding three individual NCAA titles in 2001 and 2002 while swimming for USC.
Until recent days, Keller had been best known for anchoring the 800-meter freestyle relay for the U.S. during the Athens Olympics in 2004. He held off Australian Ian Thorpe to win by 0.13 seconds — helped by teammates Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Peter Vanderkaay — in an event Australia dominated in previous years.
Keller returned to Los Angeles in 2007 to train with then-USC coach Dave Salo and the Trojan Swim Club. The pairing worked. Keller was part of the team that won gold in the 800 freestyle at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Salo said in an email Wednesday he hasn’t been in touch with Keller for several years.
But Keller struggled after appearing in three Olympics and winning five medals.
He eventually got his real estate license and settled in Colorado Springs.
Campaign finance records show Keller donated $50 last year to a Republican fundraising platform. The criminal complaint Wednesday alleged a much different level of involvement.
“Colorado state records and publicly available information list KELLER’s height at 6 feet, 6 inches tall, and PERSON 1 appears to be one of the tallest individuals in the video depicting individuals in the Rotunda,” the complaint said. “Third, open-source research revealed that KELLER is a three-time Olympic athlete and Olympic Gold Medalist, and PERSON 1 appears to be wearing a United States Olympic Team jacket in the video showing him in the Rotunda.”