Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 30
- Location
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Charges
- Conspiracy to Commit Obstruction; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Unlawful Possession of a Dangerous Weapon on Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Entering and Remaining in the Gallery of Congress; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
Case Summary
Eric Munchel "was dressed for combat" on Jan. 6, 2021, according to court documents. Photographs allegedly show him inside the Senate gallery wearing combat boots, a tactical vest with a Punisher logo on it and black camouflaged pants, holding zip-tie handcuffs with a taser on his hip. He became known on social media after the riot as "zip tie guy." Munchel, a server at a bar/restaurant in Nashville, also had a cell phone allegedly mounted to his chest with the camera facing forward. Federal prosecutors say video from that phone shows Munchel stashed away weapons at some unknown location just outside the U.S. Capitol building right before he joined the mob that stormed the building. In a search of his home several days later, federal agents allegedly found approximately 15 firearms, including assault rifles, a sniper rifle, other rifles, shotguns and pistols, as well as hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Court documents say agents also found a video on Munchel's phone from Jan. 6 that allegedly show him crossing paths and bumping fists with a member of the far-right, pro-Trump Oath Keepers militia, as one of them says, “There’s 65 more of us coming.” Munchel allegedly took part in the insurrection with his mother, Lisa Eisenhart, and both are now face charges of conspiracy. Munchel's lawyer has argued her client participated in the insurrection only because former President Donald Trump said the election was rigged.
Case History
Munchel pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Found Guilty on all charges in a stipulated bench trial on 4/18/2023. Sentenced on 9/8/2023 to 57 months incarceration; 3 years supervised release; $2,000 restitution; $530 special assessment. On 12/20/2024, the Obstruction convictions were vacated. On 1/22/2025, the court grants the government’s motion to dismiss the case with prejudice
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.