BREAKING: Transgender Attempted Scott Bessent Assassin Gets Incredibly Light Sentence

JUST IN: A Transgender Criminal Has Been SENTENCED to 73 Months in Prison for Attempting To ASSASSINATE Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

Ryan Michael English traveled to Washington carrying a folding knife and two improvised Molotov cocktails before surrendering to Capitol… pic.twitter.com/l5cEZXiclY

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 18, 2026

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JUST IN: A Transgender Criminal Has Been SENTENCED to 73 Months in Prison for Attempting To ASSASSINATE Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

Ryan Michael English traveled to Washington carrying a folding knife and two improvised Molotov cocktails before surrendering to Capitol Police, according to the Justice Department.

Keep these people off the streets.
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SENTENCED

A transgender “woman” has been sentenced to 73 months in prison following his conviction on charges linked to an attempted assassination of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Ryan Michael English traveled to Washington equipped with a folding knife and two… pic.twitter.com/4kFjLb0Pxp

— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) August 18, 2026

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SENTENCED

A transgender “woman” has been sentenced to 73 months in prison following his conviction on charges linked to an attempted assassination of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Ryan Michael English traveled to Washington equipped with a folding knife and two improvised Molotov cocktails before surrendering to Capitol Police.

He also had plans to attempt to kill War Secretary Pete Hegseth, House Speaker Mike Johnson.

He was also looking to burn down the Heritage Foundation, according to police.

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Ryan Michael English, 24, of South Deerfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 73 months in prison in connection with an attempt to assassinate then-cabinet member nominee Scott Bessent with Molotov cocktails fashioned from bottles of vodka, and for carrying a folding knife onto the Grounds of the Capitol, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

“My office will not tolerate attempts to intimidate or harm public officials that strike at the heart of our democratic process and are antithetical to the values we all depend on,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “The defendant is now a convicted felon and is headed where he belongs: prison.”

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English, aka “Raleigh Jane English,” pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras to one count of unlawful receipt, possession, and/or transfer of a firearm and one count of carrying a firearm, dangerous weapon, explosive, or incendiary device on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. In addition to the 73-month prison term, Judge Contreras ordered English to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a prison term of 121 months.

According to court documents, at about 3:12 p.m., on Jan. 27, 2025, English approached a U.S. Capitol Police Officer near the South Door of the Capitol Building and stated “I’d like to turn myself in.” English further admitted to possessing a knife and two “Molotov Cocktails.”

Officers searched English and recovered a folding knife, as well as two improvised incendiary devices from his jacket pockets. Each device was constructed of a 50-milliliter bottle of Absolut vodka with a grey strip of cloth affixed to its top. The cloth had been soaked with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Police recovered a green lighter from another pocket.

During the search, English confessed to being at the Capitol to kill a cabinet member nominee whose confirmation vote was scheduled that day before the U.S. Senate. Police recovered a note to a roommate in English’s pocket that said, in part, “This is terrible but I cant do nothing while nazis kill my sisters…Im so sorry for lying and plotting and lying.”

English admitted to traveling to the District of Columbia with the intention of killing a government official or burning down a think-tank based in Washington, D.C.

In a search of English’s car, which English had parked on the 900 block of Independence Ave., SE, police recovered a 750-milliliter bottle of 100 proof vodka and a grey sweatshirt with fabric cut from the sleeves.

Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement was Chief Michael G. Sullivan of the U.S. Capitol Police.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan M. Horan, who is detailed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office from the United States Capitol Police, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Travis Wolf.

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Prosecutors sought at least 10 years in prison for Riley Jane English, 25, who was identified by the Justice Department as Ryan Michael English.

U.S. District Judge Rudolf Contreras sentenced English after a guilty plea to two counts related to the attempt to kill Bessent and carrying a dangerous weapon on the grounds of the Capitol on Jan. 27, 2025.

“The offense is very serious,” said Contreras, adding that “Miss English” was concerned with “trans rights” and came to the Capitol with a folding knife and two small Molotov cocktails, “which probably would not have ignited.”

Contreras said English is a 26-year-old trans woman who has many physical and mental health issues which were exacerbated by drug usage.

The calculation for the sentencing range was 97 to 121 months, and Department of Justice prosecutor Brendan Horan asked for a sentence at the top end of the suggested range, but Contreras, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said he believed the range was too high.

“No one was harmed,” the judge said Tuesday. “The plan was basically impossible to succeed, and she turned herself in before it came anywhere near fruition.”

Contreras also noted that the probation department recommended a sentence of 60 months. English has served roughly 20 months in prison already and will get credit for that time served, as well as three years of probation after the sentence.

“My office will not tolerate attempts to intimidate or harm public officials that strike at the heart of our democratic process and are antithetical to the values we all depend on,” U.S. Attorney Pirro told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The defendant is now a convicted felon and is headed where he belongs: prison.”

English wore an orange jumpsuit and glasses, with mid-length blonde hair.

“I love my country, I love my family, and I live my life; I never wanted to hurt anyone,” English told Judge Contreras before the sentence was delivered. “At times I can’t explain the mental state that I’m in.

“I’m sorry for the fear I caused the country and my family,” English added. “I have a lot on my plate with an upcoming surgery. I want a chance to work and start a family of my own. I’m grateful for the opportunity to get sober and get right in my mind.”

English pleaded guilty 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.

“I was going to kill Scott Bessent,” English told police, who repeated the question back, asking, “Kill Scott Bessent?”

“Yes, sir,” English confirmed.

Prosecutors, led by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, sought a “total sentence of 121 months of imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.”

Pirro rejected the defendant’s argument for a lighter sentence for a transgender mental health issue as a “young transexual woman who has experienced trauma and suffering from the day she was born.”

English, of South Deerfield, Massachusetts, “had been thinking about this for a while because of Luigi Mangione,” according to a statement to police, prosecutors said.

The defense team requested that English be placed in a female prison. Contreras said he would pass the request to the Bureau of Prisons.

“You’ve had a very difficult life with a lot of challenges,” Contreras told English. “You’re young, you still have a significant portion of your life. Good luck to you.”

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The man who admitted to targeting Scott Bessent in an assassination plot faces sentencing as the Treasury secretary reveals just how close the threat came after he took office.

Ryan English surrendered to Capitol Police carrying a knife and two Molotov cocktails and later… pic.twitter.com/g5i943fgSv

— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 18, 2026

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WOW!!!

The man (pretending to be a woman) who tried to k*ll Scott Bessent just got sentenced to 73 months.

73 MONTHS!!?!?

Houston we have a BIG problem here!

— AmericanPapaBear

(@AmericaPapaBear) August 18, 2026

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Insane. This man—Ryan Michael English—wanted to assassinate Bessent and Hegseth and burn down the Heritage Foundation. He said Luigi Mangione was his inspiration. He should be in prison for life. https://t.co/PPwVhpke5u

— RAW EGG NATIONALIST (@Babygravy9) August 18, 2026

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She only got 73 months.

73.

Insane. https://t.co/AgBjYLC7QC

— Jack (@jackunheard) August 18, 2026

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That seems like a short sentence for an attempted unaliving of a federal official. https://t.co/XFvgI9tHBS

— 𝕍𝕚𝕠𝕝𝕒 𝕃𝕖𝕚𝕘𝕙 𝔹𝕝𝕦𝕖𝕤 (@ViolaLeighBlues) August 18, 2026

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Six years is a pathetic sentence

— Tickle (@TickleTexts) August 18, 2026

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