Ian Roberts, the former superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, is expected to plead guilty in federal court to falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and illegally possessing firearms, according to a plea agreement filed Wednesday. Roberts, a native of Guyana, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and potential deportation after serving his sentence.
Roberts’ expected guilty plea concludes a case that shocked Des Moines when federal agents arrested him in a targeted Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in late September, just weeks into the school year. The case raised questions about how a school district with 30,000 students hired a superintendent without verifying his citizenship status.
Ian Roberts, the former superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, had a two-decade career as an educator and school administrator across multiple U.S. school districts before taking the helm of the 30,000-student Des Moines system. In late September, federal agents arrested him in a targeted Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation, pulling him over in his school-issued Jeep Cherokee. According to authorities, Roberts fled from the agents, who located him with the help of state troopers after finding his vehicle abandoned near a wooded area.
Agents found a loaded handgun wrapped in a towel under the seat of the Jeep and $3,000 in cash inside the vehicle. A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment in October.
Falsifying Citizenship
According to the plea agreement filed Wednesday, Roberts admits he knowingly made a false attestation on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Eligibility Verification form—an I-9—claiming he was a U.S. citizen despite lacking authorization. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine.
When Roberts was hired in 2023, he submitted a Social Security card and driver’s license as verifying documents. He also stated he was a U.S. citizen in his application to the state board of educational examiners, which issued him a professional administrator license that year.
Immigration Timeline
Roberts, a native of Guyana, first entered the United States in 1994 on a nonimmigrant visa. He returned in 1999 on an F-1 student visa scheduled to expire in March 2004. His green card application was denied in 2003.
In 2018, Roberts obtained work authorization. A second work authorization was approved but expired in December 2020, according to federal officials. He has not had work authorization since that date. Roberts received a notice to appear before an immigration judge in October 2020 and a final removal order in 2024.
District Response
Des Moines Public Schools officials said they were not aware of the immigration issues. Roberts’ attorney, Alfredo Parrish, said his client was under the impression from a prior attorney that his immigration case had been “resolved successfully.” Parrish declined to comment on the plea agreement Wednesday.
In addition to the citizenship charge, Roberts faces a federal weapons charge carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine. Authorities said they found two pistols, a rifle, and a shotgun in Roberts’ possession—one in his vehicle at arrest and three discovered during a search of his home. Under the plea agreement, Roberts will forfeit all weapons.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa agreed not to pursue additional charges against Roberts or others related to these counts. They also agreed to recommend leniency in sentencing, though Roberts’ sentence is ultimately up to the judge.
A trial had been scheduled to begin in early March. The plea agreement indicates Roberts is aware he could face deportation after serving his sentence.