A former University of Iowa manager embezzled funds, an audit finds

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A new state audit in Iowa says the former manager of the machine shop at the University of Iowa’s Department of Physics and Astronomy deposited nearly $1 million that should have gone to the university into his own personal accounts. The report released Wednesday by State Auditor Rob Sand says Brian Busch failed to tell the university that he was an owner of a company called D3Signtech. The report says that from July 2017 through September 2021, Busch received $943,635 from another company for work that D3Signtech completed using University of Iowa staff and equipment. The university placed Busch on administrative leave in September 2021. A phone number for Busch was disconnected and an email seeking comment was returned to the sender.