Macomb County man who threatened Whitmer, DTE shareholders sentenced to prison

A Macomb County man was sentenced to federal prison after being accused of making threatening calls to DTE Energy shareholders and posting online threats to assassinate Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, federal prosecutors said. 

On Friday, Steven Conway, 40, of Center Line, was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of communicating threats in interstate commerce. A judge also sentenced Conway to two years of supervised release. 

According to federal prosecutors, in January 2025, Conway called a DTE call center in Milwaukee and threatened to hunt down" and "target for assassination" shareholders and members of the utility company. 

Conway later posted threats to kill Whitmer on an online dating website, prosecutors claim, saying the Michigan governor was on a list "marked for assassination." 

Prosecutors say Conway was previously convicted of threatening to kill police officers and a judge in Macomb County. 

"Threats of political violence and retribution are an attack on the rule of law. We will protect our public servants and the regular citizens who make our country free and prosperous," U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a statement. 

The FBI's joint terrorism task force investigated Conway's case, along with the Macomb County Sheriff's Office, the West Bloomfield Police Department and the Center Line Police Department.