A transgender Massachusetts suspect who traveled to Washington, D.C., intending to kill Trump administration officials before surrendering to authorities was sentenced Tuesday to 73 months in prison after pleading guilty in connection with a plot targeting Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Ryan Michael English, 24, approached a U.S. Capitol Police officer in January 2025 and turned themself in. Officers subsequently detained and searched English, authorities said.
Police discovered a folding knife, a lighter and two Molotov cocktails during the search.
Fox News reported English’s sentencing Tuesday as well as the suspect’s gender identity.
English had traveled from their home in South Deerfield, Massachusetts, to Washington with plans that extended beyond Bessent, according to NBC 4 Washington.
English also intended to target Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and planned to burn down the conservative Heritage Foundation, according to the report.
The suspect apparently changed targets while traveling to Washington after learning that Bessent was expected to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Treasury secretary that day.
English ultimately surrendered after arriving at the Capitol rather than carrying out the planned attack.
Authorities later discovered a note in English’s pocket that referenced the suspect’s motivations and expressed remorse over the plot.
“This is terrible but I cant do nothing while nazis kill my sisters…Im so sorry for lying and plotting and lying,” the note said.
English pleaded guilty in March to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of carrying a firearm, dangerous weapon, explosive, or incendiary device on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, according to the Department of Justice.
Bessent publicly discussed the incident last month during an appearance in Washington, D.C., according to Fox News.
“I was the subject of an assassination attempt,” Bessent said, describing the suspect as “an adult, left-wing activist” and saying the incident occurred two hours after he was sworn into his position.
Bessent also challenged those who disputed the existence of such political violence to attend the suspect’s sentencing.
“So any of you who want to report that this is a fiction and does not exist, be there for the sentencing this August,” Bessent said.
During those remarks, Bessent referenced the assassination attempt as having occurred in February 2024.
English’s Tuesday sentencing comes more than a year after the suspect arrived at the Capitol carrying the weapons and incendiary devices but quickly surrendered to law enforcement.
The 73-month prison sentence follows English’s March guilty plea to the two charges related to possessing a firearm and carrying a dangerous weapon or incendiary device on U.S. Capitol grounds.
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