Transgender woman who plotted to kill Trump Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent learns fate

By ROSS IBBETSON, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Published: 18:27, 18 August 2026 | Updated: 18:29, 18 August 2026 A transgender woman who plotted to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been jailed for six years. Raleigh Jane English, 25, of South Deerfield, Massachusetts, was arrested on January 27, 2025 after telling a cop outside the US Capitol: 'I was going to kill Scott Bessent.' English, who is identified in federal records as Ryan Michael English, was armed with a folding knife and two Molotov cocktails. The would-be assassin told investigators she was inspired by Luigi Mangione, who had shot dead a health insurance boss in New York City the month before.  English traveled from Massachusetts to Washington intending to kill a government official and burn down a think tank, according to the Justice Department. The defendant settled on Bessent because he was being confirmed by the Senate that day as Trump's Treasury boss.  At 3.12pm he approached a cop near the South Door of the Capitol and said: 'I'd like to turn myself in.' 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.  US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, announcing the sentence on Tuesday, said: '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. 'The defendant is now a convicted felon and is headed where he belongs: prison.' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaks before President Donald Trump arrives at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga., Wednesday, July 22