Former Olympic swimmer Klete Keller was among the most high-profile people to face criminal charges for participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
On Monday, he also became one of the nearly 1,600 people pardoned by incoming president Donald Trump − a moment he described to The Washington Post as ‘such an amazing feeling of relief.’
‘Waking up this morning, I was like, ‘My gosh. Wow, this is over. I don’t have to check in with my probation officer anymore,’ ‘ Keller told the newspaper Tuesday.
Keller’s pardon came a little more than a year after a D.C. judge sentenced him to six months of home confinement and 36 months probation for his role in the now-infamous riot on Jan. 6, 2021, where cameras captured the 6-foot-6 Olympian unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol building while wearing a Team USA jacket. The five-time Olympic medalist pleaded guilty to a felony count of obstruction of an official proceeding in exchange for the dismissal of the six other non-violent charges that he had been facing.
At Keller’s sentencing hearing in December 2023, prosecutors credited him for his cooperation following the plea agreement but requested that he nevertheless be sentenced to 10 months in jail. U.S. District Court judge Richard Leon, however, allowed him to avoid jail time and instead requested that Keller, a three-time Olympian, spend his time sharing his story and expressing his remorse ‘out in the community,’ particularly with young people.
‘I think that’s a more valuable way of using your time,’ Leon said, ‘(rather) than to have you sit in some jail cell.’
Keller competed for Team USA from 2000 to 2008 and won five medals, including two on relay teams. He swam the anchor leg for the men’s 4×200-meter freestyle team that won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics alongside Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.
Keller, now 42, expressed regret for his actions on Jan. 6 during his sentencing hearing and reiterated those feelings to The Washington Post on Tuesday.
‘I really regret the actions I took that day. I love this country,’ Keller told the newspaper. ‘I’m just so grateful that I have the opportunity now to move forward.’
According to figures from the Justice Department, nearly 1,600 people were charged in the riot on Jan. 6, which injured 140 police officers and delayed Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Trump’s own federal charges in connection with the riot were dropped after he won the 2024 election, due to a longstanding policy that preclues the Justice Department from prosecuting a sitting president.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @tomschad.bsky.social.