A 25-year-old who traveled from Massachusetts to the U.S. Capitol armed with a knife and two Molotov cocktails to assassinate Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent received a six-year prison sentence, well below what federal prosecutors sought.

Reily Jane English approached a police officer near the South Door of the Capitol at 3:12 p.m. on January 27, 2025, and said, "I'd like to turn myself in." Moments later, English told the officer plainly: "I was going to kill Scott Bessent." Officers recovered a folding knife, two 50-milliliter Absolut vodka bottles rigged as Molotov cocktails, with grey cloth strips soaked in hand sanitizer as wicks, and a green lighter. A larger bottle of 100-proof vodka and a grey sweatshirt with fabric cut from the sleeves sat in English's car.

The Senate was confirming Bessent as President Trump's Treasury Secretary that same day. English never got close to carrying out the plot, but the intent, the weapons, and the month of planning that preceded the arrest paint a picture of deliberate, premeditated political violence, the kind that federal law enforcement and prosecutors say they will not tolerate.

A month of planning, a list of targets, and a shift to Bessent

English, who is from South Deerfield, Massachusetts, spent roughly a month planning the attack. The original target list included House Speaker Mike Johnson, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the Heritage Foundation, which the Justice Department described as a "think tank" English intended to burn down. English left personal phones behind to avoid tracking, researched targets under a false identity at a library, and bought an atlas to navigate Washington.

The focus shifted to Bessent after English saw a television clip of the Treasury nominee discussing the federal minimum wage at a library. English told police after the arrest: "He said it with a smile on his face and that got under my skin."

English also cited Luigi Mangione, who had shot and killed a health insurance executive in New York City the month before, as an inspiration. A handwritten note recovered from English's pocket read, 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 ultimately abandoned the assassination attempt after observing the security presence around the Capitol and realizing bystanders could be harmed. English also admitted considering suicide on the White House steps if the plan failed. Instead, English walked up to a Capitol Police officer and surrendered.

Obama-appointed judge cut the sentence nearly in half

English pleaded guilty on March 26 to two federal counts: 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. The Justice Department asked for 10 years. Fox News reported that the recommended sentencing range was 97 to 121 months, roughly eight to ten years.

U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras, appointed by Barack Obama, gave English 73 months, six years, plus three years of supervised release. English will receive credit for approximately 20 months already served. The judge acknowledged that English was "plagued by mental health problems" and said the Justice Department's requested range was too high.

Judge Contreras told the courtroom:

"No one was harmed. The plan was basically impossible to succeed, and she turned herself in before it came anywhere near fruition."

He then addressed English directly: "You've had a very difficult life with a lot of challenges. You're young, you still have a significant portion of your life. Good luck to you."

The gap between what prosecutors asked for and what the judge delivered deserves scrutiny. The Justice Department stated that English "traveled from Massachusetts to Washington intending to kill a government official and burn down a think tank." That is not a minor threat. English arrived at the Capitol with improvised incendiary devices and a knife, after weeks of deliberate preparation designed to evade detection. The plan may have been unlikely to succeed, but the intent was lethal, and the target was a sitting Cabinet secretary. Courts have dealt with similar cases involving political figures, and the seriousness of the conduct, not its likelihood of success, is what sentencing is supposed to reflect.

Pirro calls English a convicted felon headed "where he belongs"

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro issued a statement after the sentencing that drew a firm line:

"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."

Pirro added: "The defendant is now a convicted felon and is headed where he belongs: prison." Pirro's statement notably used the pronoun "he" when referring to English, who is identified in federal records as Ryan Michael English. The source outlet described English as a transgender woman.

English appeared at sentencing in an orange jumpsuit and glasses, with mid-length blonde hair. English told the court:

"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's defense team requested placement in a female prison. Judge Contreras deferred that decision to the Bureau of Prisons. The question of how federal facilities house biological males who identify as female has become a flashpoint in broader political debates over institutional policy, and the Bureau of Prisons' handling of the placement will likely draw attention from both sides.

Six years for a plot to kill a Cabinet secretary

The facts of this case are straightforward. A convicted felon spent a month researching how to kill senior government officials. That person traveled hundreds of miles, armed with a knife and homemade firebombs, to the doorstep of the U.S. Capitol on the day a Cabinet nominee was being confirmed. The target list included the Speaker of the House, the Secretary of Defense, a major policy organization, and ultimately the Treasury Secretary himself. The motive, by English's own admission, was political.

English abandoned the plan, not out of a change of heart about the goal, but because the security presence made it impractical and bystanders could have been hurt. That is not remorse. That is a logistical assessment.

Threats against public officials have become a growing concern in Washington. Separately, a federal law enforcement apparatus that is supposed to deter this kind of conduct depends on sentences that carry real weight. The Justice Department asked for 10 years. The judge gave six, with credit for time served, meaning English could be out in roughly four years.

Political violence, planned, researched, equipped, and carried to the steps of the Capitol, is not a cry for help. It is a crime. And when judges treat it as something less than what prosecutors say it is, the message to the next person with a grievance, an atlas, and a pair of vodka bottles is not the one a serious country should be sending.