Judge sentences transgender would-be Bessent assassin to over six years in prison

Published August 18, 2026 3:26pm ET | Updated August 18, 2026 3:55pm ET



A biological male who identifies as a woman was sentenced to roughly six years in prison on Tuesday after being accused of attempting to assassinate Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Riley Jane English, named by the Justice Department as Ryan Michael English, is set to spend 73 months in prison, according to U.S. District Judge Rudolf Contreras, a nominee of former President Barack Obama. English pleaded guilty to traveling from Massachusetts to the U.S. Capitol with a knife and two Molotov cocktails in January 2025.

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