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Olympic gold medal swimmer Klete Keller charged in Capitol riots

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Posted at 3:34 PM, Jan 13, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-14 14:00:09-05

Two-time Olympic gold medal swimmer Klete Keller was charged in U.S. District Court in D.C. Wednesday for his alleged participation in the deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol last week.

According to a criminal complaint, Keller was charged with obstructing law enforcement, knowingly entering or remaining in a restricting building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

According to court documents, the FBI used Keller's height, his Colorado driver's license photo, and his Team USA jacket's visibility in videos to positively identify him.

In a video posted by Townhall reporter Julio Rosas, which was first reported by SwimSwam and The New York Times, Keller allegedly appears in the video as the tall, bearded man wearing a Team USA jacket inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

According to SwimSwam, former teammates and coaches were able to identify Keller from videos shown online.

The Times also reported that they received numerous identifications on Keller.

On Wednesday, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland released a statement before Keller's charges were filed in response to Keller's alleged involvement in the Capitol riots.

"First off, I strongly condemn the actions of the rioters at the U.S. Capitol," Hirshland said in a statement posted to Twitter.

Hirshland added that those actions go against the committee's values.

"At home, and around the world, Team USA athletes are held to a very high standard as they represent our country on the field of play and off," Hirshland said. "What happened in Washington, D.C., was a case where that standard was clearly not met."

According to CBS Sports, Keller, 38, has deleted his social media accounts.