Johnston Contractor Arrested for Insurance Fraud

DES MOINES - Shawn Heuss, age 46, of Johnston, was arrested on Thursday, October 30, 2025, and charged with one count of Fraudulent Submission (Class D Felony), one count of Theft in the Second Degree (Class D Felony), one count of Fraudulent Practice in the Second Degree (Class D Felony), and for a warrant for his arrest for Failure to Appear on one count of an Animal at Large.

According to criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Division's Fraud Bureau, Heuss filed an insurance claim in September 2024 for weather-related damages to his home's roof. His insurance company approved the repairs and issued an initial payment for the actual cash value. Instead of making the approved repairs, Heuss painted part of his roof to change its appearance and created a fraudulent invoice from his construction company, Allure Roofing & Construction, indicating that the repairs had been completed. On January 2, 2025, Heuss submitted this invoice to his insurer and received the recoverable cash value insurance proceeds to which he was not entitled.

Heuss was arrested on Thursday, October 30, and is currently being held at the Polk County Jail.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and defendants should be presumed innocent until they are found guilty.

Photo courtesy of Polk County Jail.