MASSACHUSETTS WOMAN SENTENCED FOR CAPITOL FIREBOMB PLOT

Riley English, a 26-year-old transgender woman from South Deerfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced to six years and one month in prison on Tuesday for bringing homemade firebombs to the U.S. Capitol. English told Capitol police in January 2025 that she intended to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the day of his Senate confirmation. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras imposed the sentence after finding that English's plan posed an "exceedingly low or non-existent" chance of success.

Investigators recovered a folding knife, two homemade firebombs and a lighter from English's possession at the Capitol on 27 January. The Molotov cocktails English brought appeared incapable of igniting, according to the judge. English told police she was influenced by Luigi Mangione, the man charged with fatally shooting the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare. Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of ten years and one month, arguing English had planned the "attempted political assassination" for at least a month. English's defence attorney stated she was in a diminished mental state, citing fears about what would happen to transgender people under the incoming Trump administration.

English told the court she was experiencing a mental health crisis and abusing drugs when she drove to Washington. She said: "I never wanted to hurt anyone. I'm not a political person. I'm not a violent person." Judge Contreras acknowledged her difficult life circumstances and noted the progress she had made during her nearly 20 months in custody awaiting sentencing. English will receive credit for time already served and will be subject to three years of supervised release following her prison term. No injuries resulted from the incident.