A Tennessee man colloquially referred to as the “zip tie guy,” along with his mother, were found guilty on felony charges for their actions in relation to the Jan. 6 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia Royce Lamberth said in a press release that the actions of the duo and others “disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.”
Eric Munchel, 32, of Nashville, and Lisa Eisenhart, 59, of Woodstock, Georgia were found guilty following a stipulated bench trial, which is a shortened legal proceeding during which defendants do not admit guilt to charges but agree with prosecutors that certain facts are true.
At least three dozen Jan. 6 defendants have resolved their cases that way—which allows defendants to preserve their right to an appeal—rather than opting for a traditional trial or pleading guilty.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September, according to the release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). An original trial was set to begin last week.
Attorneys for Munchel told the AP that he had accepted responsibility for his actions.
Original Arrest and Release
The two were arrested in Nashville days after the breach on January 10, 2021. They were detained and transported to D.C. on January 24 and released in March of that year after courts debated terms for release.DOJ’s Case
Evidence presented by the DOJ to the court said the pair “encouraged” other “rioters” to “fight with police” as they approached the Capitol.
“Even though they knew their actions were unlawful, they pushed forward, past police lines and entered the Capitol building,” DOJ wrote. “Once inside, they penetrated all the way to the Senate Gallery.”
The DOJ stated photos and video captured Munchel and Eisenhard wearing tactical vests and carrying plastic “zip tie-style handcuffs” that were apparently stolen “from a closet inside the Capitol.”
“Additionally, Munchel had a Taser holstered on his right hip,” the release explained. “While inside the Senate and carrying the stolen restraints, Munchel and Eisenhart wondered aloud where the ’traitors’ and ‘cowards’—meaning the Senators—had gone.”
The Washington Post reported that courts, prior to their release, tried to decide whether those who were seen in photos and videos carrying the zip ties were intent on taking “lawmakers hostage,” but “no evidence of such plans” had emerged.
The DOJ said the two also gave statements to a reporter after leaving the Capitol that their intention was to “intimidate Congress” through their actions.
Charges they were found guilty of included 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.
Munchel alone was found guilty of additional felony charges of 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.
The DOJ said over 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the Capitol, including 320 charged with “assaulting or impeding law enforcement.”
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