Washington DC - A 24-year-old from Massachusetts was sentenced to 73 months in prison on Tuesday for plotting to assassinate Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Ryan Michael English, who identifies as a transgender woman and is also known as Raleigh Jane English, pleaded guilty in March to weapons offenses and other charges, the Justice Department said in a statement.
English, who was armed with a folding knife and two Molotov cocktails, was arrested by a police officer at the US Capitol on January 27, 2025.
"I'd like to turn myself in," English told the officer.
English confessed to traveling to Washington to assassinate Bessent, whose confirmation vote was to be held that day in the Senate, the Justice Department said.
"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," US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.
Court filings revealed that English had originally targeted Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth or Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, but changed the plan upon learning of Bessent's scheduled hearing.
The Trump administration has faced numerous violent threats. Most recently, an armed man was arrested at the president's golf course days before Trump was scheduled to visit.