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WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - A mother and son from Tennessee have been found guilty in D.C. of felony charges for their actions during the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Eric Gavelek Munchel, 32, of Nashville, Tennessee, and Lisa Marie Eisenhart, 59, of Woodstock, Georgia were found guilty on Tuesday.
According to evidence presented to the court and facts admitted by the defendants, Munchel and Eisenhart entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 to disrupt Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election.
As they approached the Capitol building, they saw other rioters fighting with police and encouraged them to do so. They experienced police wearing body armor and using chemical irritants and gas to repel rioters like themselves, but they were not deterred.
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Instead, even though they were aware their actions were unlawful, they pushed forward, past police lines, and entered the Capitol building.
Once inside, they penetrated all the way to the Senate Gallery. Photos and video captured Munchel and Eisenhart wearing tactical vests and carrying plastic zip tie-style handcuffs that they stole from a closet inside the Capitol.
Additionally, Munchel had a Taser holstered on his right hip. While inside the Senate and carrying the stolen restraints, Munchel and Eisenhart wondered aloud where the "traitors" and "cowards"—meaning the Senators—had gone.
Later, both Munchel and Eisenhart gave statements to a reporter in which they acknowledged that their actions were intended to intimidate Congress.
The two were found guilty of conspiracy to commit obstruction and obstruction of an official proceeding, both felonies, and entering and remaining in a gallery of Congress, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
Ex-Capitol officer gets probation for trying to help Jan. 6 rioter dodge charges
A U.S. Capitol police officer who tried to help a Virginia fisherman avoid criminal charges for storming the building his law enforcement colleagues defended was sentenced on Thursday to two years of probation and four months of home detention.
Munchel alone was found guilty of two additional felonies: disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and unauthorized possession of a deadly or dangerous weapon on Capitol grounds.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 8, 2023.
In the 27 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 320 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.