32-year-old Eric Gavelek Munchel — aka “Zip-Tie Guy,” the Capitol rioter who carried zip ties in a viral photo from the January 6, 2021 insurrection — has been sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison, while his mom, Lisa Eisenhart, 59, gets 2-and-a-half years for her role in the Capitol riot.
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On January 6, 2021, the Tennessee bartender and newlywed stormed the U.S. Capitol and was captured in one of the most viral photos from inside all of the thuggish commotion. In the picture, Munchel is seen dressed like a member of a SWAT team, and jumping over a railing in the Senate gallery, all while holding onto a handful of zip-tie handcuffs.
As Munchel, and the rest of the Capitol rioters in support of Donald Trump, made their way onto the floor of the gallery, several legislators, who were getting ready to certify President Joe Biden‘s 2020 electoral victory, had made their way off the floor, fleeing for their lives as the rioters invaded the chamber.
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Following the attack on the Capitol, Munchel was arrested and hit with five felony charges, two of them weapons-related and three misdemeanors. Additionally, Munchel’s 59-year-old mother, who is a registered nurse and lives in Georgia, was also arrested and found guilty in April of conspiracy to commit obstruction and obstruction of an official proceeding, both felonies, and five related misdemeanors.
On Friday (September 8), U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth was unmoved while sentencing Munchel and his mom to a combined 7.25 years in federal prison. The breakdown sees Eisenhart, who wore a tactical vest of her own, and a MAGA hat at the riot, serving 2.5 years behind bars, while her son will serve four years and nine months in the pen.
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Prior to their joint sentencing, lawyers for Munchel pleaded with the court for leniency, arguing that he was at the Capitol to protest peacefully, and that by being dressed from head-to-toe in a military-style “tactical attire [was] evidence of nothing” and just him being “fashionable.” His lawyers also claimed that he had a taser on him only because he was “convinced that ANTIFA (far-right group created by MAGA supporters) would be present to incite violence.”
Meanwhile, charging documents said otherwise. It was reported that he was heard pushing his way into the Capitol while shouting out several slogans and phrases like: “We ain’t playing f**king nice no godd*mn more;” and “We’re f**king ready to f**k sh*t up.”
Additionally, after appearing at the Capitol riot, and prior to her arrest, Munchel’s mother gave an interview to The Times of London and said, “This country was founded on revolution… I’d rather die as a 57-year-old woman than live under oppression. I’d rather die and would rather fight.”
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