A peace officer as defined by section 801.4, subsection 11, a jailer, or an employee of a penal or correctional facility shall not be the purchaser, directly or indirectly, of property being sold by a prisoner who is in the person's custody. However, a peace officer, jailer, or employee of a penal or correctional facility may purchase inmate made items at an art or craft sale or show, but only when the items are offered for sale to the public and the price paid for the item is the same price offered to any other prospective purchaser. A sale made in violation of this section is void. A peace officer, jailer, or employee of a penal or correctional facility who violates this section, commits a simple misdemeanor.
Iowa Code § 721.12