A transgender woman from Massachusetts has been sentenced to 63 months in prison for a plot to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Riley Jane English, 25, pleaded guilty in March to unlawful receipt, possession or transfer of a firearm and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence.
Prosecutors stated that English admitted to traveling to the Washington area on January 27, 2025, with the intention of killing a government official. The initial targets included House Speaker Mike Johnson and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and English had also considered burning down the Heritage Foundation. The focus shifted to Bessent, who was being confirmed by the Senate that day.
"I was going to kill Scott Bessent," English told police, according to federal court documents. The defendant also expressed anger after seeing Bessent on television discussing the federal minimum wage, stating, "He said it with a smile on his face and that got under my skin."
English was arrested at the U.S. Capitol after approaching an officer and stating, "I’d like to turn myself in." Officers found a folding knife, two Molotov cocktails, and other materials in English's possession and in a nearby vehicle.
During the investigation, English also admitted to contemplating harming herself if the assassination plan failed, saying, "If all else fails, I was going to slit my wrists on the White House steps." A handwritten note recovered by police read, "This is terrible but I cant do nothing while nazis kill my sisters."
Prosecutors sought a sentence of 121 months imprisonment, arguing against a lighter sentence based on claims of trauma and suffering related to gender identity. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras imposed the 63-month sentence. Bessent is openly gay and married to John Freeman.
The case comes amidst heightened political attention to acts of violence involving individuals who identify as transgender. This has sparked national debate, particularly following other high-profile incidents.