A Macomb County man has been handed a 10-month prison sentence after issuing online threats to assassinate Governor Gretchen Whitmer, as well as threatening to "hunt down" and "target for assassination" DTE Energy shareholders, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. Steven Conway, 40, of Center Line, pled guilty to two counts of making interstate threats, which were compounded by a history of similar offenses holding a prior conviction for threats made against a judge and police officers.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. White imposed the sentence, which will be followed by a two-year term of supervised release. In making his decision, White looked at Conway's admission of guilt and the serious nature of his actions, which sought to arguably undermine the safety and security of both public servants and private citizens alike. Conway's threats came via both an online dating website, where he claimed Governor Whitmer was "marked for assassination," and through a disturbing phone call made to a DTE Energy call center.
"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 F. Gorgon was quoted as saying in the published announcement.
Reflecting the gravity of Conway's offenses, Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, emphasized the commitment to maintain public safety. "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," Runyan told media. "The FBI will not hesitate 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."
The case was brought to a close by the collaborative efforts of the FBI's joint terrorism taskforce with the support of Task Force Officers from the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, West Bloomfield Police Department, and the Centerline Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Carr and Catherine Morris were responsible for the prosecution, ensuring that Conway would face the repercussions of his attempts to deeply disrupt the fabric of civil discourse and threaten the lives of those both in and outside of public office.
