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The former head of the University of Iowa’s department of physics and astronomy machine shop was arrested Thursday after a state audit accused him of using university staff and equipment to make nearly $1 million for himself.
Brian Busch faces three felony charges—first-degree theft, first-degree fraudulent practice and ongoing criminal conduct—plus an aggravated misdemeanor charge of tampering with records. Inside Higher Ed was unable to reach Busch Friday.
The state audit alleged Busch failed to tell the university he owned D3Signtech, a company through which he earned $943,635 between 2017 and 2021 by using university equipment and staff to complete projects for an outside firm. The machine shop is able to take contracts for projects to fund its operations, but the revenue was instead deposited into Busch’s personal and business accounts, the audit concluded.
In a Sept. 4 statement, the university said it placed Busch on administrative leave three years ago and terminated him Aug. 28, after the state audit was complete. It said it requested the audit.
“When university officials learned of a potential violation in the department of physics and astronomy machine shop, they took immediate action to protect the interests of taxpayers, students and families,” the statement said. The university said it will try to recoup the wages paid to Busch during his leave and will also “determine if new rules or procedures are necessary to mitigate prolonged administrative leaves.”
