Cedar Rapids man accused of submitting false prescriptions for his dog

CEDAR RAPIDS — The city of Cedar Rapids’ code enforcement manager has been accused of insurance fraud for allegedly submitting a forged receipt for medication reimbursement for his dog.

Greg Buelow, 53, was arrested Wednesday on a warrant issued last week, charging him with insurance fraud — presenting false information and forgery, both class D felonies. He was released on a promise to appear for an initial appearance Sept. 17 in Linn County District Court.

According to the criminal complaints, Buelow provided false information to an insurance company for a pet insurance claim. The submitted falsified invoice for reimbursement, purportedly issued by a veterinary clinic, was for prescription medications for his dog. The incident happened June 2, the complaints state.

The complaints don’t include the amount of false reimbursements.

This case was investigated by the Iowa Insurance Fraud Bureau.

Sixth Judicial District Senior Judge Paul Miller granted a request by Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks to appoint a special prosecutor for the case to avoid any conflict of interest. The Johnson County Attorney’s Office was appointed for the case, according to the order.

According to the city’s Human Resources Department, Buelow remains a current employee.

Buelow has been employed by the city since 1995 in various departments:

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

Trish Mehaffey covers state and federal courts for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com