Steven Conway, 40, was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to threatening to assassinate Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and others. Conway called a DTE Energy call center in January 2025 and later posted on a dating site naming Whitmer among those "marked for assassination." The sentence includes two years of supervised release, and federal officials vowed continued, aggressive investigation and prosecution of violent threats against public officials and private citizens.
Michigan Man Sentenced to 10 Months for Threats to 'Assassinate' Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan Gov. Gretchen WhitmerScott Olson/Getty
A 40-year-old Michigan man, Steven Conway, was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison after admitting he threatened to assassinate Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and others, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.
Prosecutors say Conway called a DTE Energy customer service center in Wisconsin in January 2025 and told employees he intended to “hunt down” company shareholders and members, describing them as targets for assassination. In the days that followed, Conway—who has prior convictions for threatening to kill a Michigan judge and police officers—posted on a dating website naming Gov. Whitmer as one of several people he said were “marked for assassination.”
Gretchen Whitmer speaks at the Democratic National Convention in August 2024David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty
On Feb. 13, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. White sentenced Conway to 10 months in prison after Conway pleaded guilty to two counts of communicating threats in interstate commerce. The sentence also includes a two-year term of supervised release.
"Threats of political violence and retribution are an attack on the rule of law," Gorgon said. "We will protect our public servants and the regular citizens who make our country free and prosperous."
"Threats of violence of this nature, whether directed at 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's 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."
Conway’s sentence comes against the backdrop of a separate, high-profile case: in 2020, 14 people were arrested in an alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Whitmer and overthrow the state government, which also included accusations of plans to detonate explosives to impede police response. At the time, then-U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider called the allegations deeply disturbing and praised law enforcement for disrupting the plot.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer attends the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 Annual MeetingJohn Nacion/Getty
Gov. Whitmer has spoken publicly about the personal impact of being targeted. In a March 2023 interview on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, she said her family has "made sacrifices" for safety and that she thinks about the risk to her life frequently, noting that criticism from the former president intensified threats against her. Whitmer has also acknowledged the visible security protections she receives and the added concern when she appears before large crowds.
This prosecution underscores federal authorities' pledge to pursue and punish threats made against public officials, private citizens, and corporate shareholders, whether communicated by phone or online.
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