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U.S. District Court Sentences Massachusetts Woman to Six Years in Prison Over Plot to Kill Treasury Secretary
Just the facts
Federal prosecutors had sought a ten-year sentence, citing English's month-long planning of an attempted political assassination. Defense attorneys argued that English was experiencing a severe mental health crisis and drug abuse triggered by fear over administration policies regarding transgender individuals. Court records indicated English traveled from South Deerfield, Massachusetts, initially targeting multiple political figures before focusing on Bessent after reading about his confirmation hearing online. Judge Contreras noted that the Molotov cocktails carried by English were incapable of igniting and that Bessent was not present at the Capitol during the incident.
Why this is news
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras sentenced 26-year-old Riley English to six years and one month in prison followed by three years of supervised release for attempting to kill U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. English was arrested at the U.S. Capitol on January 27, 2025, with homemade firebombs, a folding knife, and a lighter on the day of Bessent's Senate confirmation hearing.
Sources
This summary is compiled strictly from the original reporting below.