CEDAR RAPIDS – A man who sold methamphetamine twice was convicted by a jury on June 9, 2022, after a three-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Justin Michael Buehler, age 39, from Oelwein, Iowa, was convicted of two counts of distribution of methamphetamine. The verdict was returned after about two hours of jury deliberations.
The evidence at trial showed that Buehler was distributing methamphetamine to an employee at his workplace. In January 2019, law enforcement agents coordinated with the employee to set up two controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Buehler’s home. The agents surveilled the purchases and the purchases were also audio recorded. Buehler had a prior state conviction for his involvement with methamphetamine in 2007.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Buehler remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Buehler faces a possible maximum sentence of up to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a fine of up to $8,000,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Dorval Norwood and Patrick J. Reinert. The case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
