Jan. 6 rioter accused of using zip-tie handcuffs sentenced to 5 years in prison

A man who carried zip-ties on him while during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the Capitol was sentenced to almost five years in prison Friday, according to the Justice Department.

Eric Munchel, 32, and his mother, Lisa Marie Eisenhart, 57 were both sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth on Friday for “felony and misdemeanor charges related to their actions” during the insurrection.

“Munchel and Eisenhart were both convicted of conspiracy to commit obstruction and obstruction of an official proceeding, both felonies, as well as 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 on April 19, 2023, following a stipulated bench trial before Judge Lamberth,” the DOJ release said.

Munchel, dubbed the “Zip Tie Guy,” was found guilty of two more felonies than his mother. These included 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 the stipulated facts, Munchel and Eisenhart, both of whom were wearing tactical vests, entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to disrupt Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election,” the release said. “Munchel also carried a Taser holstered on his hip. As they approached the Capitol building, they saw other rioters fighting with police and encouraged them to do so.”

“Munchel and Eisenhart observed police wearing body armor and using chemical irritants and gas to repel rioters like themselves but were not deterred,” it continued “Instead, even though they were aware their actions were unlawful, they pushed forward, past police lines, and entered the Capitol building.”

Photos and video, according to the DOJ, also captured the defendants carrying flexi-cuffs, or handcuffs made from zip ties that were stolen from the Capitol.

Eisenhart was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for her actions, with three years of supervised release after that and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution. Her son faces the same amount of supervised release and restitution owed.