A Tennessee man who went by the online moniker “zip-tie guy” was given a sentence of almost five years in jail on Friday in connection with the break-in at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
According to a news release from the Justice Department, Eric Munchel of Nashville was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth to 57 months in prison, which was followed by three years of supervised release. Moreover, Munchel, 32, was mandated to make a $2,000 restitution payment.
In pictures and videos, Munchel and his mother Lisa Marie Eisenhart, 59, can be seen carrying plastic zip-tie handcuffs that were reportedly taken from a cupboard in the Capitol building on January 6.
On Friday, Munchel’s mother was also given a sentence of 30 months in prison.
Requests for a response on Friday night went unanswered by the lawyers for Munchel and Eisenhart.
The defendants took the flexi-cuffs and smuggled them into the Senate gallery with the intention of holding senators hostage, if at all possible, Lamberth stated during the sentencing hearing, according to the news release. Fortunately, every senator and member of their staff had already left.
According to the prosecution, Munchel exclaimed, “Zip ties! “, as he and Eisenhart passed by the shackles on their way to the Senate gallery. According to the video, “I need to get me some of them motherf—ers.”
In April, a federal court in Washington, D.C., found Eisenhart and her son guilty of charges that included conspiring to obstruct justice and obstructing an official process.
The prosecution claimed that Munchel shouted, “I want that f—-g gavel!” as he and his mother pushed past police barriers and made their way to the Senate Gallery while carrying a Taser that was not authorized to be in their possession. Munchel was found guilty of two additional felonies in connection with this incident. According to court documents, the couple was inside the Capitol for around 12 minutes.
The Justice Department reports that over 1,100 persons have been accused of offenses connected to the Capitol disturbance.
Enrique Tarrio, a former leader of the Proud Boys, was sentenced earlier this week to 22 years in federal prison for seditious conspiracy. This was the longest sentence imposed in a case from January 6, surpassing Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, who received an 18-year sentence.