Bessent Assassination Plotter Sentenced to Six Years

Contreras said he went below the government's request because the plot never got close. The plan to kill Bessent "was basically impossible to succeed, and she turned herself in before it came anywhere near fruition," the judge said, adding that "no one was harmed." He also noted English has mental health issues.

English apologized in court. "I love my country, I love my family, and I live my life; I never wanted to hurt anyone," he told Contreras. "At times, I can't explain the mental state that I'm in."

"I'm sorry for the fear I caused the country and my family," English said. "I have a lot on my plate with an upcoming surgery. I want a chance to work and start a family of my own. I'm grateful for the opportunity to get sober and get right in my mind."

Pirro celebrated the sentence, saying her 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." She added: "The defendant is now a convicted felon and is headed where he belongs: prison."

Announcing the guilty plea in March, Pirro said: "Our system of justice depends on public officials being able to carry out their duties free from intimidation and fear. This defendant's threats crossed a clear legal line, and today's guilty plea reflects our commitment to protecting those who serve." She rejected the defense's push for leniency based on a transgender mental health argument, which had described English as a "young transexual woman who has experienced trauma and suffering from the day she was born."

Bessent addressed the plot publicly last month in Washington. "I was the subject of an assassination attempt," he said, "by an adult, left-wing activist two hours after being sworn into my job so any of you who want to report that this is a fiction and does not exist, be there for the sentencing this August."