Doctor in FBI raid case appears in federal court
Gun charge filed after suspected explosive devices found in Miami County.
TROY — A Miami County physician arrested a week ago after the FBI said it recovered explosive devices from his home near Troy, made an initial appearance Thursday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Dayton on a federal firearms charge.
Steven J. Werling, 53, a Concord Twp. resident, had been charged in Miami County with one count of possession of a dangerous ordnance — illegal manufacturing or processing explosives. Bail was set last Friday at $2 million cash in Miami County Municipal Court.
That charge was dismissed by local prosecutors Thursday after federal marshals picked up Werling from the county jail and transported him to Dayton, where he made the court appearance at the federal courthouse later Thursday.
Werling is charged under 26 U.S. Code 5861B, for alleged unlawful receipt or possession of a firearm transferred to him in violation of that federal code chapter, said Todd Lindgren, public affairs officer for the FBI’S Cincinnati Federal Field Office.
Federal authorities would not release further documentation about the investigation after multiple requests from the Dayton Daily News. Case documents also were not uploaded to the online federal court docket Friday.
Werling remains in custody. His bond hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, April 16, in federal court.
Defense lawyer Jon Paul Rion said Thursday the allegation involves a requirement to have a tax stamp on an attachment to a weapon. The fee for that tax stamp is $125, he said.
“That was the nature of what was presented today, Rion said. “Obviously, the investigation is just beginning. We will be conducting
our research and interviews and absorbing what the government has.”
Werling was arrested around 9 p.m. April 4 in the 1400 block of Barnhart Road by Miami County sheriff’s deputies. The sheriff ’s office
earlier in the day responded to assist the FBI in an investigation into Werling possibly manufacturing explosive devices, court documents said.
“During the interview, Werling admitted to manufacturing
explosive devices at his residence and provided details where the devices would be located inside his home,” an affidavit read.
The FBI recovered six suspected explosive devices in the garage, as well as homemade pipes, explosive chemical components, gunpowder and other materials used in making explosive devices, according to law enforcement officials. Police were at Werling’s home both April 4 and April 5.
Also searched was a building at 804 E. Monument St. in Dayton. Court records from a 2020-21 lawsuit show Werling is part of a group that has owned that building, which includes a self-storage business.
Werling is a doctor in the Miami County area. He is listed in Premier Health’s provider directory as a proctologist at Advanced Colon Treatment, with locations in Tipp City and Piqua. He is listed as a DO, or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.
Ohio’s professional licensure website lists Werling’s medical license as “active” with the Ohio State Medical Board. The website does not show any disciplinary action. Werling was prominently involved in anti-vaccine activism during the pandemic, offering statehouse testimony and helping lead an unsuccessful push for a constitutional amendment called “Medical Right to Refuse.”