A man who stole a television remote has been sentenced to more than two decades behind bars.

Eric Bramwell was found guilty in November and sentenced in January to 22 years imprisonment.

The 35-year-old took the remote in August 2015 from the common area of an apartment complex in Wheaton, Illinois, dropping a glove on his way out.

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A DNA sample from the glove matched with Bramwell’s DNA on the state’s database of convicted felons, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.

Prosecutors said that due to his criminal history, he was eligible for 30 years in prison.

He allegedly committed similar thefts of other remote and television sets from other nearby apartment complexes.

"Mr Bramwell’s illegal activity and his history have finally caught up with him," state attorney Robert Berlin said.

"Regardless of what was stolen, Mr Bramwell repeatedly thumbed his nose at the law.

"He took what he wanted, time and time again, and expected to avoid the consequences.

"That’s not how it works, as Mr Bramwell has now found out."

Judge Robert Miller sentenced Bramwell in November to six months in jail for contempt for using profane language in court.

The US locks up more people per capita than any other country.