Transgender wannabe assassin sentenced to prison for Luigi Mangione-inspired plot to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
A biological male who identifies as a woman, was sentenced to 63 months (6 years and 1 month) Tuesday for a plot to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.Prosecutors sought at least 10 years in prison for Riley Jane English, 25, who is identified in federal records as Ryan Michael English.English pleaded guilty on 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 US Capitol.“I was going to kill Scott Bessent,” English told police, who repeated the question back, asking, “Kill Scott Bessent?”“Yes, sir,” English confirmed.Federal court documents identify English as a transgender woman, adding another story of several high-profile acts of violence involving transgender assailants.English, who was inspired by Luigi Mangione, pleaded guilty before US District Judge Rudolph Contreras.
The defendants faced two charges carrying prison terms of up to 10 years and five years, respectively.Prosecutors, led by US 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, Mass., “had been thinking about this for a while because of Luigi Mangione,” according to a statement to police, prosecutors said.The Justice Department said English traveled from Massachusetts to the Washington area Jan.27, 2025, intending to kill a government official or burn down a Washington think tank.
English ultimately focused on Bessent, who was being confirmed by the Senate that day as President Trump’s Treasury secretary.“Our system of justice depends on public officials being able to carry out their duties free from intimidation and fear,” Pirro wrote in a statement an...