Macomb County man who threatened to kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on dating site sentenced

MACOMB COUNTY – A Macomb County man has been sentenced after he threatened to kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on a dating website, officials said. He also threatened DTE Energy Corporation shareholders.

Steven Conway, 40, of Center Line, was sentenced to 10 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Officials said Conway called a DTE Energy call center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in January 2025.

In those calls, he “threatened to hunt down and target for assassination the shareholders and members of the energy company,” according to the release.

A few days after making those threats, Conway also made threats to kill Whitmer on an online dating website. He had claimed Whitmer “was on a list marked for assassination,” according to federal officials.

The 40-year-old also has a previous conviction for threatening a judge and police officers in Macomb County.

Conway entered a guilty plea to two counts of communicating threats in interstate commerce.

“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,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case and was assisted by the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the West Bloomfield and Center Line police departments.

“Threats of violence of this nature, whether directed at a public officials, private citizens, or company shareholders, are serious crimes and will be treated as such,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “The FBI will not tolerate any attempt to intimidate, endanger, or coerce individuals through online platforms. We will continue to aggressively investigate these offenses and work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to pursue those who make such threats, so they are held fully accountable under the law.”