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Olympic gold medalist Klete Keller pleads guilty to felony after joining Capitol riot

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Former U.S. Olympic swimmer Klete Keller pleaded guilty Wednesday to a single felony charge for his participation in the Capitol riot.

Keller, a two-time gold-medalist, was seen in videos wearing a Team USA jacket in the Capitol rotunda. He was indicted on seven federal counts in February, but in a deal reached with prosecutors he pleaded guilty to only a single count of obstructing an official proceeding, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail. Keller, however, is likely to receive a far lighter sentence after entering into a cooperation agreement with prosecutors.

In charging documents, prosecutors said that while in the Capitol rotunda, Keller filmed law enforcement officers who were seeking to block the crowd from advancing through the building and at one point shook officers off him who were trying to remove him from the area. He also was captured on video yelling, “F*** Nancy Pelosi,” and “F*** Chuck Schumer,” prosecutors said.

Following his participation in the riot, Keller said that that he destroyed his phone and memory card and threw away his Team USA jacket. Keller is next set to next appear before a judge in December, when prosecutors and his attorney will provide an update on the progress of his cooperation with the government. It’s not clear when Keller will be sentenced [ABC News].

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: PEOPLE.COM

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