Eric Gavelek Munchel, Conspiracy to Commit Obstruction, Tennessee 2021

Eric Gavelek Munchel, 32, and Lisa Marie Eisenhart, 59, have been found guilty of felony charges related to the January 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.

The mother and son duo, from Tennessee, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit obstruction, obstruction of an official proceeding, 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.

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.

According to evidence presented to the court and facts admitted by the defendants, Munchel and Eisenhart entered the U.S. Capitol on January 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.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 8, 2023. The cases were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the DOJ’s National Security Division, with assistance from various U.S. Attorney’s Offices.

The investigation was led by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the FBI’s Nashville Field Office, the FBI’s Memphis Field Office, and the United States Capitol Police.

Over 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol since January 6, 2021, including more than 320 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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