Transgender Woman Sentenced to Prison After Accused of Attempting Assassination of Treasur

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Transgender Woman Sentenced to Prison After Accused of Attempting Assassination of Treasur
Photo: The Guardian US
politics· A press review of 7 outlets
  1. A transgender-identifying woman on Tuesday was sentenced to roughly six years in prison after being accused of attempting to assassinate Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

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    The Daily Wire

    WASHINGTON — A man who identifies as a transgender woman has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for plotting to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, yet another example of a trans-identifying individual who plotted politically motivated violence.

    Fox News

    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.

  2. Contreras, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, sentenced English to six years and one month of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. English has remained jailed since her arrest and will get credit for the nearly 20 months that she already has spent in custody.

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    HuffPost

    Contreras, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, sentenced English to six years and one month of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. English has remained jailed since her arrest and will get credit for the nearly 20 months that she already has spent in custody.

    The Guardian US

    Contreras, who was nominated to the bench by Barack Obama, sentenced English to six years and one month of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. English has remained jailed since her arrest and will get credit for the nearly 20 months that she already has spent in custody.

    Associated Press

    Contreras, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, sentenced English to six years and one month of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. English has remained jailed since her arrest and will get credit for the nearly 20 months that she already has spent in custody. She pleaded guilty in March to two weapons charges.

    Washington Examiner

    Prosecutors had pushed for the maximum 10-year prison sentence, but Contreras declined, saying the suspect’s plan to kill Bessent “was basically impossible to succeed, and she turned herself in before it came anywhere near fruition.” The judge said “no one was harmed,” and also noted English has mental health issues. English will serve three years of supervised release.

  3. English also said she traveled from Massachusetts to Washington intending to kill other Republican political figures — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson — and to burn down the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, according to police. English changed her target to Bessent after reading an internet post about his confirmation hearing, police said.

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    Associated Press

    English also said she traveled from Massachusetts to Washington intending to kill other Republican political figures — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson — and to burn down the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, according to police. English changed her target to Bessent after reading an internet post about his confirmation hearing, police said.

    Washington Times

    English also said she traveled from Massachusetts to Washington intending to kill other Republican political figures - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson - and to burn down the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, according to police. English changed her target to Bessent after reading an internet post about his confirmation hearing, police said.

    Fox News

    English told investigators that the original targets included House Speaker Mike Johnson and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and that English had also considered burning down the Heritage Foundation, according to court filings. The target shifted to Bessent after English saw him on television while stopping at a library in the Washington area.

    Washington Examiner

    English initially considered other targets, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the Heritage Foundation, before focusing on Bessent, whose Senate confirmation was taking place that day, according to court filings.

    The Daily Wire

    He told investigators that before focusing on Bessent, he had considered killing other government officials, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, or attacking a Washington think tank, which Fox News identified as the Heritage Foundation. After seeing Bessent on TV while at a library in the D.C. area, he changed his mind and decided to kill the Treasury Secretary.

  4. Police also recovered a handwritten note in which English wrote, in part, "This is terrible but I cant do nothing while nazis kill my sisters," according to the Justice Department. "Im so sorry for lying and plotting and lying."

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    The Daily Wire

    “Judith dear god I am so sorry,” English wrote in a note recovered by authorities, according to court documents. “You must understand I can feel myself dying slowly b/c of my heart. This is terrible but I can’t do nothing while nazis kill my sisters. I love you. This is awful. Im so sorry. I love u. Please stay alive and heal. you can. you are strong enough. Fck them for pushing us so far. you don’t deserve this. Im so sorry for lying and plotting and lying. Please survive.”

  5. Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of 10 years and one month for English. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Horan said English had been planning the “attempted political assassination” for at least a month at a time when the threat of politically motivated violence has been mounting in the U.S.

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    Associated Press

    Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of 10 years and one month for English. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Horan said English had been planning the “attempted political assassination” for at least a month at a time when the threat of politically motivated violence has been mounting in the U.S.

    HuffPost

    Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of 10 years and one month for English. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Horan said English had been planning the “attempted political assassination” for at least a month at a time when the threat of politically motivated violence has been mounting in the U.S.

    The Guardian US

    Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of 10 years and one month for English. Brendan Horan, an assistant US attorney, said English had been planning the “attempted political assassination” for at least a month at a time when the threat of politically motivated violence has been mounting in the US.

  6. “This was not a chance encounter or an impulsive act,” Horan said. Defense attorney Maria Jacob said English was “terrified and traumatized” by fears of what would happen to transgender people under the second Trump administration.

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    HuffPost

    “This was not a chance encounter or an impulsive act,” Horan said. Defense attorney Maria Jacob said English was “terrified and traumatized” by fears of what would happen to transgender people under the second Trump administration.

    The Guardian US

    “This was not a chance encounter or an impulsive act,” Horan said. Maria Jacob, a defense attorney, said English was “terrified and traumatized” by fears of what would happen to transgender people under the second Trump administration.

    Associated Press

    Defense attorney Maria Jacob said English was “terrified and traumatized” by fears of what would happen to transgender people under the second Trump administration.

From the margins

7 details only one outlet reported

Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.

  1. 01 Washington Examiner

    “The defendant is now a convicted felon and is headed where he belongs: prison,” Pirro said in a statement.

  2. 02 Fox News

    Prosecutors sought at least 10 years 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 U.S. Capitol.

  3. 03 The Guardian US

    A Massachusetts woman who told police that she brought homemade firebombs to the US Capitol to kill Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, was sentenced on Tuesday to just over six years in prison.

  4. 04 Washington Times

    WASHINGTON — A Massachusetts woman who told police that she brought homemade firebombs to the U.S. Capitol to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was sentenced on Tuesday to just over six years in prison.

  5. 05 Associated Press

    WASHINGTON (AP) — A Massachusetts woman who told police that she brought homemade firebombs to the U.S. Capitol to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was sentenced on Tuesday to just over six years in prison.

  6. 06 HuffPost

    WASHINGTON (AP) — A Massachusetts woman who told police that she brought homemade firebombs to the U.S. Capitol to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was sentenced on Tuesday to just over six years in prison.

  7. 07 The Daily Wire

    Twenty-five-year-old Ryan Michael English (who goes by Raleigh or Raleigh Jane English) of South Deerfield, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in March to weapons charges stemming from a plot to assassinate Bessent. On Tuesday, a judge sentenced English to 73 months and 36 months of supervised release, according to the Justice Department.

Assembled from 6 corroborated claims drawn from 7 independent outlets. Every passage above is taken verbatim — Dorothy doesn't paraphrase or summarize.

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Coverage by Perspective

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Sources (7)

  • guardian
  • washtimes
  • dailywire
  • ap
  • foxnews
  • washexaminer
  • huffpost

Original Articles (8)