A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled Wednesday that a Georgia woman and her adult son, known online as the "zip-tie guy," be held without bond as they await trial for their alleged role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Lisa Marie Eisenhart, 56, of Woodstock and Eric Gavelek Munchel, 30, of Nashville are among more than 200 people so far charged in the insurrection attempt. Munchel, who grew up in Blue Ridge, is accused of being the man caught in photos dressed in black tactical gear, carrying handfuls of plastic handcuffs through the Senate gallery.
In a 17-page opinion, Judge Royce C. Lamberth denied a bond request for the pair, writing that their "conduct threatens the republic itself," and cited George Washington's Farewell Address to buttress his conclusion that the Jan. 6 riot was an assault on the fundamental principles of self-governance.
"Indeed, few offenses are more threatening to our way of life," he wrote.
In a brief supporting the state's no-bond request, prosecutors wrote the evidence "is immense."
"The defendant can make no serious claim that he went to the Capitol on January 6 intending to engage in peaceful protest or civil disobedience," they wrote of Munchel. "Instead, the evidence supports the conclusion that he intended to contribute to chaos, obstruct the Electoral College certification, and sow fear."
It is "difficult to fathom a more serious danger to the community ... than the one posed by armed insurrectionists, including the defendant, who joined in the occupation of the United States Capitol," prosecutors claimed.
The FBI has tracked down dozens of alleged rioters, and in most cases, prosecutors have asked they be held without bond. But following a hearing Jan. 22, a federal magistrate judge in Tennessee ordered Eisenhart and Munchel be allowed to post bond. Federal prosecutors filed an appeal and the case was transferred to the D.C. circuit.
Prior to the pro-Trump uprising, Eisenhart spent 30 years as a nurse. She had no prior criminal history. Munchel worked as a bartender in Florida and Tennessee, most recently at a Nashville bar owned by country rocker Kid Rock. He had prior arrests, including two drug possession convictions and an alleged assault in 2013.
Munchel brought a Taser and a knife with him to the "stop the steal" rally, as well as an iPhone strapped to the front of his tactical vest that he used to record a 50-minute video of the assault.
According to court records, Eisenhart encouraged her son to enter the Capitol, saying "the (tear) gas isn't bad." The video also captured Eisenhart and Munchel shouting encouragement to apparent militia members and others assaulting the Capitol, the opinion states.
Munchel found the plastic restraints once they were inside the Capitol and he carried them into the Senate chamber. The video allegedly shows Munchel and Eisenhart stepping over railings in the Senate gallery while Eisenhart shouted, "Treason! Treason!" Eventually, Munchel encouraged his mother to leave the Capitol, according to court records.
"But he never disapproved of her actions," the judge wrote.
After leaving the Capitol, Eisenhart spoke to a reporter with The Times of London, saying she would "rather die ... than live under oppression."
"If they're going to take every legitimate means from us, and we can't even express ourselves on the internet, we won't even be able to speak freely, what is America for?" she told the newspaper.
The rioters were "flexing their muscles," Munchel added. "We wanted to show that we're willing to rise up, band together and fight if necessary," he said.
According to prosecutors, Munchel allegedly assaulted someone in the D.C. hotel where he and his mother were staying who recorded them on their phone the day after the riot.
The FBI arrested the pair in Tennessee after searching Munchel's Nashville apartment, seizing 15 firearms, a drum magazine and "a large quantity of loaded magazines," according to court records.
