Massachusetts Woman Sentenced For Plot To Kill Treasury Secretary Bessent
The Justice Department announced Tuesday, August 18, 2026 that Riley English was sentenced to 73 months in federal prison for plotting to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the U.S. Capitol.[1]
A judge also ordered three years of unsupervised release to follow English's prison term, federal prosecutors said.[1] Seventy-three months is about six years.[1]
In January 2025, English turned herself in at the U.S. Capitol and was arrested after officers found materials to make Molotov cocktails and a folding knife on her.[1] She pleaded guilty to unlawful receipt, possession and/or transfer of a firearm and to carrying a firearm, dangerous weapon, explosive or incendiary device on Capitol grounds.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Tuesday, August 18, 2026, DOJ announced a 73-month federal prison sentence for Riley English over an assassination plot targeting Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
- English was arrested at the U.S. Capitol in January 2025 after turning herself in and was found carrying Molotov cocktail materials and a folding knife
- She pleaded guilty to unlawful receipt, possession and/or transfer of a firearm and to carrying a firearm, dangerous weapon, explosive or incendiary device on Capitol grounds, and was also sentenced to three years of unsupervised release
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