Full Breakdown
Transgender Defendant Sentenced for Plot to Kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
8/18/2026, 11:47:57 PM
Core Event
Riley Jane English, a 25-year-old identified in federal records as Ryan Michael English, was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for a plot to murder Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. English pleaded guilty on March 26 to unlawful receipt, possession or transfer of a firearm and to carrying a dangerous weapon on the U.S. Capitol grounds. The court imposed a term of 5 years 4 months, followed by supervised release, after prosecutors had sought a sentence of up to 10 years.
Background & Context
English, a transgender woman from South Deerfield, Massachusetts, told police she was motivated by a video of Bessent discussing the federal minimum wage and by the actions of a prior extremist, Luigi Mangione. Initial targets listed in court filings included House Speaker Mike Johnson and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and English also considered burning a Washington think-tank. The plan shifted to Bessent after English saw him on television while stopping at a library. Police recovered a folding knife, two vodka-filled bottles rigged as Molotov cocktails, a lighter, and a handwritten note decrying “nazis” and expressing remorse.
Official Statements & Responses
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro emphasized that threats against public officials cross a clear legal line and underscored the need for officials to work without intimidation. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras accepted the guilty plea and imposed the sentence.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I was going to kill Scott Bessent,” — Riley Jane English
- “Our system of justice depends on public officials being able to carry out their duties free from intimidation and fear,” — Jeanine Pirro, attorney
- “Capitol Police officer near the South Door of the Capitol and said, "I’d like to turn myself in.” — South Door
- “{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}} "He said it with a smile on his face and that got under my skin," English told investigators, according to court records.” — Riley Jane English
- “I pushed that away because I was thinking like that is so stupid, that accomplishes nothing, that poor kid just threw his life away for like a minute of vengeance," English said, according to prosecutors.” — Riley Jane English
