A federal judge on Thursday handed down a 72-month sentence to a Massachusetts woman who voluntarily surrendered after recognizing her travel-sized incendiary devices were wholly insufficient to assassinate Scott Bessent.
The Justice Department secured a six-year prison sentence Thursday for Riley English, a Massachusetts resident who turned herself in to Capitol Police after concluding her collection of miniature Molotov cocktails would do little more than aggressively warm the Treasury Secretary.
According to a sentencing memorandum filed in U.S. District Court, English arrived at the Capitol complex ahead of Scott Bessent’s confirmation vote carrying several two-ounce glass bottles equipped with tiny fabric wicks. Surveillance footage shows the 34-year-old loitering near the Senate chamber for several minutes before approaching a security desk, reportedly telling officers on background that she had done the math and realized her homemade incendiary devices lacked the thermal yield to accomplish anything beyond a modest dry-cleaning bill.
During the subsequent arraignment, defense attorneys argued that the sheer impracticality of the miniature explosives—which utilized fragments of a cocktail napkin as wicks—demonstrated a lack of credible capability. Court transcripts show English's legal team emphasizing that the defendant would have had to ask the Treasury Secretary to hold perfectly still for several minutes while the two-ounce bottle slowly shattered against his lapel.
While the defendant’s intent to violently disrupt the confirmation process was clear, we must acknowledge her sudden, sobering realization that taking out a cabinet member requires more than novelty-sized barware.
Prosecutors noted that the plot was entirely premeditated, citing internet search history that included the Treasury nominee's schedule, the layout of the Senate dais, and precise instructions on how to pour gasoline into airplane liquor bottles without spilling. However, the DOJ ultimately requested a lenient sentence in light of her decision to abandon the attack upon observing the cavernous ceilings of the Capitol rotunda, which sources close to the investigation say made her realize her tactical deployment looked deeply unserious.
In a brief statement issued Thursday afternoon, the Treasury Department commended law enforcement for their swift action. A senior aide added that Secretary Bessent remains focused on domestic economic policy and expects any future attempts on his life to utilize standard-issue, full-scale munitions commensurate with his cabinet-level rank.