Riley Jane English, 25, has been sentenced to 63 months, or 6 years and 1 month, in prison for a plot to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Federal court documents identify English as a transgender woman and state she was inspired by Luigi Mangione.
English pleaded guilty on March 26 to unlawful receipt, possession or transfer of a firearm, and carrying a firearm, dangerous weapon, explosive or incendiary device on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of at least 10 years.
English confessed to authorities, stating, “I was going to kill Scott Bessent.” She was taken into custody on Jan. 27, 2025, after approaching a U.S. Capitol Police officer and stating she wished to turn herself in. English informed the officer about a knife and two Molotov cocktails she was carrying. Police found a folding knife, two small vodka bottles with cloth attached, and a lighter. Additional materials matching the incendiary devices were discovered in English’s vehicle.
According to court documents, English traveled from Massachusetts to the Washington area with the intent to kill a government official or burn down a Washington think tank. The target shifted to Bessent after English saw him on television while at a library. Bessent was undergoing confirmation hearings as President Trump's Treasury secretary on the day of English's apprehension.
Prosecutors stated that English had also considered targeting House Speaker Mike Johnson and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and had contemplated setting fire to the Heritage Foundation. A handwritten note recovered by investigators included the phrase, “This is terrible but I cant do nothing while nazis kill my sisters.”
English told investigators that a clip of Bessent discussing the federal minimum wage angered her. She explained, “He said it with a smile on his face and that got under my skin.” English stated she went to the Capitol intending to wait for Bessent but abandoned the plan upon observing the security presence and the potential for harming others.
English also indicated that she had second thoughts about the plot because Luigi Mangione was facing legal consequences. "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.
English admitted that if her plan to harm Bessent failed, she intended to commit suicide on the White House steps. "If all else fails, I was going to slit my wrists on the White House steps," she told police. "Just because that’s all you can do if you can’t hurt anyone else and you’re out of options and you’re out of time and you need to have an outlet and you need to show people how serious it is and you need to make one big dramatic f–king thing."
The Justice Department emphasized that the legal system relies on public officials being able to perform their duties without fear. "Anyone who threatens violence against government officials will be identified, charged, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," stated U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro in March, announcing English's guilty plea.