A Michigan man is headed to federal prison after a spree of violent threats aimed at Michigan’s governor and a major utility company. Steven Conway, 40, Center Line, was sentenced to 10 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, according to an announcement made Friday by U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan.
The sentencing comes after Conway pleaded guilty to two counts of communicating threats in interstate commerce.
The legal trouble began in January 2025 when Conway placed a call to a DTE Energy call center located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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During that conversation, authorities say he threatened to “hunt down” and “target for assassination” the company’s shareholders and members. Just days after that phone call, Conway moved his rhetoric to an online dating platform, where he posted that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was on a list “marked for assassination.”
This wasn’t Conway’s first brush with the law regarding violent language; he has a prior conviction for threatening to kill a judge and police officers in Macomb County.
While handing down the sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. White emphasized the gravity of the interstate threats. U.S. Attorney Gorgon echoed that sentiment, stating, “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.”
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The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the FBI’s joint terrorism task force, the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, and police departments from West Bloomfield and Center Line. Jennifer Runyan of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office noted that the digital nature of the threats did not make them any less dangerous.
“The FBI will not tolerate any attempt to intimidate, endanger, or coerce individuals through online platforms,” Runyan said. She added that threats directed at public officials and private citizens alike are serious crimes that the bureau will continue to investigate aggressively.
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