Contact: Rachel Zimmermann Smith, Johnson County Attorney
Contact Number: 319-339-6100
Contact Email: [email protected]
For Immediate Release
Former UI Employee Pleads Guilty to Theft, Fraudulent Practice
October 13, 2025 (JOHNSON COUNTY, IA) – Today in Iowa District Court, former University of Iowa employee Brian Busch pled guilty to Theft in the First Degree – Deceive Labor/Service/Property $10,000+, a Class C Felony; and Fraudulent Practice in the First Degree – Alter/Make False Entry, $10,000+, a Class C Felony. Charges of Tampering with Records, an Aggravated Misdemeanor; and Commit a Specified Unlawful Act – Ongoing Activity, a Class B Felony, were both dismissed, and Busch will have to pay financial restitution to the University of Iowa in the amount of $173,097.60 as part of the plea agreement.
The charges and guilty plea come from a 2021 investigation which revealed that Busch’s privately owned company, D3signtech, was getting paid for completing jobs for an outside company at the UI physics machine shop where Busch worked. The jobs were completed by either Busch or his D3signtech employees while they were getting paid by the University of Iowa machine shop.
The date for Busch’s sentencing is currently pending.
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Note: The official online PDF includes an attached Memorandum of Plea Agreement.