Former American Olympic swimming champion Klete Keller admitted Wednesday his participation in the assault on the Capitol on January 6, and pleaded guilty. The American Olympic swimming champion Klete Keller admitted on Wednesday that he participated in the assault by supporters of Donald Trump on the Capitol on January 6. He pleaded guilty to ” obstructing the work of Congress “. The scale of penalties for this offense is between 21 and 27 months in prison, but the judge responsible for pronouncing the penalty may deviate from it. read also Klete Keller, the Olympic insurgent from the Capitol The five-time Olympic medalist, 39, admitted having spent nearly an hour in the precincts of Congress, when the elected officials had to certify the victory of Joe Biden in the presidential election . Dressed in a jacket in American colors, including a huge “USA” logo on the back, the 1.98m swimmer had been identified in many photos and videos taken in the Rotunda, in the heart of the seat of the American parliament.
In the deal with prosecutors, he admitted to filming police officers, hurling insults at Democratic leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as struggling when officers tried to do so. leave the scene, according to a press release from the Ministry of Justice. He pledged to pay $ 2,000 in compensation and to cooperate with investigators who, in return, dropped the charges against him for violence. Triple Olympic medalist with the United States Klete Keller competed in the Olympics in 2000, 2004, and 2008, winning two gold and one silver in the 4x200m freestyle relay, and two bronze medals in the individual, in the 400m freestyle. His winning relay race in 2004 in Athens remains one of the most famous in swimming history, with Michael Phelps in an American team against the Australians, led by powerful champion Ian Thorpe. In the position of the last torchbearer, he had been able to resist Thorpe’s return to victory, ending years of Australian domination in the category. His post-Olympic life was further complicated with a divorce, the loss of several jobs, becoming homeless for a while, sleeping in his car, he recounted in a 2018 podcast from the official Olympic Channel. of the Olympics.
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