Lederman Bail Bonds offering $10,000 reward for tips on Iowa City homicide

Lederman Bail Bonds, the employer of an Iowa City man who was found shot to death in his office last month, is offering a $10,000 reward for information about the shooting.

The offer comes as Iowa City police continue their investigation into the death of 34-year-old Jonathan Wieseler, a bail bondsman who was found dead April 23 in Lederman's Iowa City office at 518 S. Capitol St., across from the Johnson County Jail. Police are treating the death as a homicide, but have not publicly identified any suspects.

Josh Lederman, who co-owns the bail bonds company with his brothers, said they wanted to do everything they could to help police with the investigation.

"This is the least we could do," Lederman said. "We want to keep helping the police and really get to the bottom of it. We really miss Jon terribly. He was more than just an employee, he was a friend of ours. We worked closely together for many years and he was just a pleasure to work with and be around."

Wieseler worked at Lederman for six years, handling the Johnson County office largely by himself and doing administrative and managerial work in addition to posting bonds, Lederman said.

Lederman said he and Wieseler spoke about once a week and texted more often. Lederman invited Wieseler to an Iowa basketball game last year and enjoyed talking to him about a range of topics, he said.

Lederman declined to discuss security at the Iowa City office, but said the company is reviewing security procedures at all its offices and making changes as recommended.

"We're proceeding to do everything we can to avoid anything like this ever happening again," Lederman said. "In 50 years of business, we've not had something like this happen. We've never had any kind of violence at all on any of our agents in all those years."

The company is also creating a memorial fund in Wieseler's name to offer scholarships to children of Lederman employees pursuing a college education, Lederman said.

MORE:

• Iowa City police treating death of man found in bail bonds office as homicide
• Homicide victim 'literally would do anything to help a friend'
• Autopsy: Iowa City homicide victim was shot to death

Iowa City police spokesman Sgt. Scott Gaarde said the department has received a few tips prior to Lederman's announcement of the reward, but he's hopeful that the incentive will help "reach a successful resolution of the case."

"Any additional resources or help we can have in an investigation, we certainly welcome," he said.

Anyone with information should contact the Iowa City Police Department, Lederman said, and the company will pay out the reward once charges have been filed against a suspect.

Iowa City police investigator Mike Smithey is handling the case, and anyone with information is encouraged to call him at (319) 356-5452.

Iowa City Area CrimeStoppers is also offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of a suspect and can be reached at (319) 358-8477. Callers do not have to reveal their identity to collect a reward.

Reach Stephen Gruber-Miller at 319-887-5407 or sgrubermil@press-citizen.com. Follow him on Twitter: @sgrubermiller.