From US Olympic hero to Capitol rioter: Klete Keller sentenced TODAY
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작성자 Luisa 작성일24-02-27 04:50 조회10회 댓글0건관련링크
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It was a little after 3:30pm by the time Klete Keller stepped on to the subway in Washington DC. The sun had not yet set but already darkness enveloped the nation's capital.
He was soon approached by a young boy. The child had spotted Keller's jacket, which carried all the bells and whistles of the USA Olympic team.
The boy asked Keller if he was really an athlete. He wanted to know about the former swimmer's career, which between 2000 and 2008 took the 6ft 6ins Keller to three Games. He won five medals including two golds, with a teammate claiming his anchor leg in the 4x200m freestyle at Athens 2004 - when Keller held off the great Ian Thorpe - cemented his place as ‘an American hero'. No wonder the child asked for a picture.
Before long, however, Keller had thrown the jacket in the garbage. He took a hammer to his cell phone, too. Because earlier that afternoon, on January 6 2021, the Olympian had made ‘one of the worst decisions of my life.'
It cost him his reputation, his children, and, briefly, his job. Some demanded he also lose his medals. On Friday, Keller will find out if it has robbed him of freedom, too. Wearing that same jacket, Keller had joined the riotous mob who stormed the US Capitol on the day which led to five deaths and saw America descend into anarchy over the 2020 Presidential election.
Former Olympic swimmer Klete Keller was among the rioters who stormed the Capitol in 2021
The 6ft 6ins Keller (R) represented the US at three Olympic Games, winning two gold medals
On January 6, Keller wore a Team USA Olympic jacket as he joined the mob in Washington
He led cries of ‘F*** Nancy Pelosi' and ‘F*** Chuck Schumer', he resisted officers trying to protect the nation's lawmakers. He sung the same national anthem that had rung out in Athens and Beijing. He filmed his fellow rioters. He asked one for a selfie. He occasionally covered his face with sunglasses, a Donald Trump beanie, and a bandana.
Keller would eventually leave around 3.30pm and head for the subway. But Keller had failed to mask his identity and he failed to outrun the consequences of his 50-minute visit to Congress. An arrest warrant was issued; he handed himself in a week later.
Keller pled guilty to a felony charge - ‘obstruction of an official proceeding' - which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Now, nearly three years on from January 6, the 41-year-old will learn his fate. On Friday, Keller will be sentenced at last.
‘Beyond juvenile and foolhardy,' is how defense lawyers branded Keller's actions as they asked the courts to keep him out of prison. The government, however, want him jailed for 10 months.
‘Keller once wore the American flag as an Olympian. On January 6, 2021, he threw that flag in a trash can,' officials argue. ‘What Klete Keller and others did on January 6 was unconscionable. It will forever be a stain on this country's narrative.'
Keller, who pled guilty to ‘obstruction of an official proceeding', is seen entering the Capitol
‘Beyond juvenile and foolhardy,' is how defence lawyers branded the retired swimmer's actions
Keller's downward spiral, from standing atop the podium to storming the corridors of power, began after he clambered out of the pool one final time. This 6ft 6ins giant, once said to be a prankster who drove an old police car, became yet another athlete tortured by the transition to normal life.
Keller retired after the 2008 Olympics, after he had capped a fine career with another relay gold. That same year, he married his long-term girlfriend and headed back to school to complete a degree in Public Policy and Development. He sold life insurance and was soon a father of three.
Keller admitted to feeling ‘lost' in retirement
But soon his life took a ‘harsh and dark turn'. Over just two days in 2014, Keller separated from his wife and then lost his job. He spent nearly a year living out of his car - squeezing his 6ft 6in frame into a Ford Fusion, keeping his gym membership only so he had somewhere to shower.
He suffered with depression, he false started in several new careers. It's claimed his children called him ‘Uncle Klete' or ‘Mr Klete'. His ex-wife testified that he had attempted suicide and once pinned her against a wall before asking if she had ‘heard of marital rape'. Keller denied the claim.
He did admit to feeling ‘lost' after leaving the pool but it seems the roots of his struggles stretch back to childhood, when Keller claims to have suffered physical and emotional abuse that included being hit with a tennis racket and being threatened with adoption. Keller, his lawyers claim, ‘became alienated from his family and has not had contact with his parents or older sister in many years.'
Keller's life seemed to be drifting back towards stability, however, when in 2017 he moved to Colorado and began working in real estate. He claims to have ‘made up for lost time' with his children, too.
Court documents show Keller wearing a 'Trump' beanie and the USA Olympic jacket
He was branded 'an American hero' after helping the US to 4x200m freestyle gold in Athens
But, in October 2020, a judge denied him additional visitation rights. Shock, Keller claims, ‘turned into simmering anger and a profound sense of injustice which I struggled to move past.'
A month later, he travelled to Washington for an election protest and pro-Donald Trump rally.
And then the following January, he stormed the Capitol. According to his legal team, there is a clear line joining those dots. How? The judge's custody ruling ‘affected his judgment and led to his decision to partake in the (riot).' Or, as Keller himself claims: ‘I felt my relationship with my children was taken from me without any consideration of the facts. I felt similarly with the way election irregularities were seemingly dismissed.'
A stretch? Perhaps. Instead, the pandemic seemed to set Keller on the road towards radicalization: friends reportedly noticed his social media posts becoming more aggressive and more overtly partisan.
But the ties binding Keller's politics with his personal life appear to tighten after his trip to the Capitol. The 41-year-old has not seen his children since; last year, he signed papers allowing them to be adopted by their new stepfather.
‘As a direct result of his participation in the January 6 Riots, Mr. Keller permanently lost his children, a punishment more significant than any a court could order.'
The former swimmer, pictured in 2002, saw his life take a ‘harsh and dark turn' in retirement
‘What Klete Keller and others did on January 6 was unconscionable,' the government said
He was asked to resign from his job at real estate firm Hoff & Leigh, too. And then Keller had to wait as he cooperated with the government and his case dragged on. The cruel irony? With judgment day finally nigh, Keller's life appears to have righted itself once more.
The 41-year-old has a new wife and his old job back. In court documents, supporting Keller's bid to avoid prison, co-workers at Hoff & Leigh are gushing. ‘Genuinely one of the kindest men I have ever met. He has made a tremendous impact, not only on our business, but on my family and community,' one boss wrote.
His profile on the company website cites the former swimmer's ‘drive' and work-ethic. It lists his hobbies, too, which now include heading ‘deep into the mountains on skis, bikes… and boots.'
Keller's decision to plead guilty and cooperate has exposed him to threats from ‘the vigilante "internet mob"' but, according to the government, also helped convince others to follow suit.
A member of Keller's community, meanwhile, claims he now offers free swimming lessons and even takes youngsters for lunch, to share stories from sport and life lessons learned in the choppiest waters. ‘He is unbelievable with the kids,' they write. ‘He makes a huge impact on them.' Just as he did with that boy on that subway in Washington.
Keller claims to have been overcome with shame following their meeting on January 6. Because he knew that the truth - about where he had been and what he had done - would ‘shatter' the boy's image of this fallen American hero. On Friday, Keller what other costs he has to bear.
Washington DCCapitol HillJanuary 6
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He was soon approached by a young boy. The child had spotted Keller's jacket, which carried all the bells and whistles of the USA Olympic team.
The boy asked Keller if he was really an athlete. He wanted to know about the former swimmer's career, which between 2000 and 2008 took the 6ft 6ins Keller to three Games. He won five medals including two golds, with a teammate claiming his anchor leg in the 4x200m freestyle at Athens 2004 - when Keller held off the great Ian Thorpe - cemented his place as ‘an American hero'. No wonder the child asked for a picture.
Before long, however, Keller had thrown the jacket in the garbage. He took a hammer to his cell phone, too. Because earlier that afternoon, on January 6 2021, the Olympian had made ‘one of the worst decisions of my life.'
It cost him his reputation, his children, and, briefly, his job. Some demanded he also lose his medals. On Friday, Keller will find out if it has robbed him of freedom, too. Wearing that same jacket, Keller had joined the riotous mob who stormed the US Capitol on the day which led to five deaths and saw America descend into anarchy over the 2020 Presidential election.
Former Olympic swimmer Klete Keller was among the rioters who stormed the Capitol in 2021
The 6ft 6ins Keller (R) represented the US at three Olympic Games, winning two gold medals
On January 6, Keller wore a Team USA Olympic jacket as he joined the mob in Washington
He led cries of ‘F*** Nancy Pelosi' and ‘F*** Chuck Schumer', he resisted officers trying to protect the nation's lawmakers. He sung the same national anthem that had rung out in Athens and Beijing. He filmed his fellow rioters. He asked one for a selfie. He occasionally covered his face with sunglasses, a Donald Trump beanie, and a bandana.
Keller would eventually leave around 3.30pm and head for the subway. But Keller had failed to mask his identity and he failed to outrun the consequences of his 50-minute visit to Congress. An arrest warrant was issued; he handed himself in a week later.
Keller pled guilty to a felony charge - ‘obstruction of an official proceeding' - which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Now, nearly three years on from January 6, the 41-year-old will learn his fate. On Friday, Keller will be sentenced at last.
‘Beyond juvenile and foolhardy,' is how defense lawyers branded Keller's actions as they asked the courts to keep him out of prison. The government, however, want him jailed for 10 months.
‘Keller once wore the American flag as an Olympian. On January 6, 2021, he threw that flag in a trash can,' officials argue. ‘What Klete Keller and others did on January 6 was unconscionable. It will forever be a stain on this country's narrative.'
Keller, who pled guilty to ‘obstruction of an official proceeding', is seen entering the Capitol
‘Beyond juvenile and foolhardy,' is how defence lawyers branded the retired swimmer's actions
Keller's downward spiral, from standing atop the podium to storming the corridors of power, began after he clambered out of the pool one final time. This 6ft 6ins giant, once said to be a prankster who drove an old police car, became yet another athlete tortured by the transition to normal life.
Keller retired after the 2008 Olympics, after he had capped a fine career with another relay gold. That same year, he married his long-term girlfriend and headed back to school to complete a degree in Public Policy and Development. He sold life insurance and was soon a father of three.
Keller admitted to feeling ‘lost' in retirement
But soon his life took a ‘harsh and dark turn'. Over just two days in 2014, Keller separated from his wife and then lost his job. He spent nearly a year living out of his car - squeezing his 6ft 6in frame into a Ford Fusion, keeping his gym membership only so he had somewhere to shower.
He suffered with depression, he false started in several new careers. It's claimed his children called him ‘Uncle Klete' or ‘Mr Klete'. His ex-wife testified that he had attempted suicide and once pinned her against a wall before asking if she had ‘heard of marital rape'. Keller denied the claim.
He did admit to feeling ‘lost' after leaving the pool but it seems the roots of his struggles stretch back to childhood, when Keller claims to have suffered physical and emotional abuse that included being hit with a tennis racket and being threatened with adoption. Keller, his lawyers claim, ‘became alienated from his family and has not had contact with his parents or older sister in many years.'
Keller's life seemed to be drifting back towards stability, however, when in 2017 he moved to Colorado and began working in real estate. He claims to have ‘made up for lost time' with his children, too.
Court documents show Keller wearing a 'Trump' beanie and the USA Olympic jacket
He was branded 'an American hero' after helping the US to 4x200m freestyle gold in Athens
But, in October 2020, a judge denied him additional visitation rights. Shock, Keller claims, ‘turned into simmering anger and a profound sense of injustice which I struggled to move past.'
A month later, he travelled to Washington for an election protest and pro-Donald Trump rally.
And then the following January, he stormed the Capitol. According to his legal team, there is a clear line joining those dots. How? The judge's custody ruling ‘affected his judgment and led to his decision to partake in the (riot).' Or, as Keller himself claims: ‘I felt my relationship with my children was taken from me without any consideration of the facts. I felt similarly with the way election irregularities were seemingly dismissed.'
A stretch? Perhaps. Instead, the pandemic seemed to set Keller on the road towards radicalization: friends reportedly noticed his social media posts becoming more aggressive and more overtly partisan.
But the ties binding Keller's politics with his personal life appear to tighten after his trip to the Capitol. The 41-year-old has not seen his children since; last year, he signed papers allowing them to be adopted by their new stepfather.
‘As a direct result of his participation in the January 6 Riots, Mr. Keller permanently lost his children, a punishment more significant than any a court could order.'
The former swimmer, pictured in 2002, saw his life take a ‘harsh and dark turn' in retirement
‘What Klete Keller and others did on January 6 was unconscionable,' the government said
He was asked to resign from his job at real estate firm Hoff & Leigh, too. And then Keller had to wait as he cooperated with the government and his case dragged on. The cruel irony? With judgment day finally nigh, Keller's life appears to have righted itself once more.
The 41-year-old has a new wife and his old job back. In court documents, supporting Keller's bid to avoid prison, co-workers at Hoff & Leigh are gushing. ‘Genuinely one of the kindest men I have ever met. He has made a tremendous impact, not only on our business, but on my family and community,' one boss wrote.
His profile on the company website cites the former swimmer's ‘drive' and work-ethic. It lists his hobbies, too, which now include heading ‘deep into the mountains on skis, bikes… and boots.'
Keller's decision to plead guilty and cooperate has exposed him to threats from ‘the vigilante "internet mob"' but, according to the government, also helped convince others to follow suit.
A member of Keller's community, meanwhile, claims he now offers free swimming lessons and even takes youngsters for lunch, to share stories from sport and life lessons learned in the choppiest waters. ‘He is unbelievable with the kids,' they write. ‘He makes a huge impact on them.' Just as he did with that boy on that subway in Washington.
Keller claims to have been overcome with shame following their meeting on January 6. Because he knew that the truth - about where he had been and what he had done - would ‘shatter' the boy's image of this fallen American hero. On Friday, Keller what other costs he has to bear.
Washington DCCapitol HillJanuary 6
Should you have virtually any concerns concerning exactly where and also tips on how to utilize we highly recommend to check them out my grandfather sign with them, you possibly can email us at our webpage.
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