A biological male who identifies as a woman was sentenced Tuesday to 73 months in federal prison for a plot to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, receiving substantially less prison time than prosecutors requested.

Riley Jane English, identified by the Justice Department as Ryan Michael English, pleaded guilty in March to two federal charges stemming from the Jan. 27, 2025, incident at the U.S. Capitol.

Prosecutors sought a sentence of up to 121 months. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, instead imposed a sentence of six years and one month, followed by three years of supervised release. English will receive credit for roughly 20 months already served.

“The offense is very serious,” Contreras said, noting that English arrived at the Capitol carrying a folding knife and two small Molotov cocktails.

The judge said the recommended sentencing range of 97 to 121 months was excessive because English abandoned the plot and surrendered to police.

“No one was harmed,” Contreras said. “The plan was basically impossible to succeed, and she turned herself in before it came anywhere near fruition.”

According to the Justice Department, English traveled from Massachusetts to Washington intending to kill a government official or attack a conservative think tank. Potential targets included House Speaker Mike Johnson, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Heritage Foundation before English ultimately focused on Bessent, who was being confirmed by the Senate that day.

“I was going to kill Scott Bessent,” English told investigators after surrendering, according to court records.

English approached a Capitol Police officer and asked to turn himself in. Officers recovered a knife, lighter and two small vodka bottles fitted with cloth that authorities described as incendiary devices.

Investigators said English had become angry after seeing Bessent discuss the federal minimum wage on television.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said threats against public officials strike at the country’s democratic system.

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

Before sentencing, English apologized and said there had been no desire to hurt anyone.

The defense asked that English serve the sentence in a women’s prison. Contreras said he would forward that request to the Federal Bureau of Prisons