A 26-year-old Massachusetts woman was sentenced Tuesday to six years and one month in prison for plotting to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Riley English admitted to bringing homemade firebombs to the U.S. Capitol on January 27, 2025, the day of Bessent's Senate confirmation hearing. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras also ordered three years of supervised release following her prison term.
The incident occurred during the early weeks of the second Trump administration. English, who traveled from South Deerfield, Massachusetts, was detained at the Capitol and has remained in custody for approximately 20 months. Prosecutors stated she originally targeted other Republican figures, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson, as well as the Heritage Foundation, before focusing on Bessent after reading about his confirmation online.
During the sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Horan described the act as a planned attempted political assassination, noting that English had been preparing for at least a month. Defense attorney Maria Jacob argued that English was in a "diminished mental state" due to fears regarding the administration's policies toward transgender people. English told the court she is not a violent person and characterized her actions as a result of personal distress.
Judge Contreras noted that while the intent was serious, the actual threat was minimal because the firebombs appeared incapable of igniting and Bessent was not present at the Capitol at the time. English informed investigators she was influenced by Luigi Mangione, who was charged in the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, and stated she believed she was terminally ill.
The scale of the sentencing involves a 73-month prison term followed by 36 months of supervision. While the prosecution sought a longer term of 121 months, the judge's decision reflects a sentence of just over six years. This outcome sets a precedent for how federal courts handle threats against political figures involving improvised incendiary devices, even when the devices are non-functional. The court's recognition of the defendant's mental health status during sentencing indicates how such factors may be weighed against the severity of the charges in federal threat cases.
For the general public, the case illustrates the legal response to politically motivated threats. A person convicted of such acts faces immediate and long-term loss of liberty, followed by years of federal oversight that can include restrictions on travel, employment, and association. The knock-on effects include the reinforcement of security perimeters around the Capitol and potential impacts on how law enforcement monitors online discourse related to political figures. English will begin her formal prison sentence immediately, with the three-year supervised release period scheduled to begin upon her eventual discharge from custody.