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The former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district received a two-year prison sentence on Friday, after admitting guilt in January to charges of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship on employment documents and unlawfully possessing firearms while in the country illegally.
Ian Andre Roberts, who once led Des Moines Public Schools, is slated for deportation to his home country, Guyana, in South America, upon serving his sentence, according to statements from his attorneys and reports by the Associated Press (AP).
This legal decision brings a dramatic end to Roberts’ two-decade tenure in urban education, a career that began unraveling after his detention during an immigration enforcement operation, which led to his resignation in 2025, as noted by the AP.
Prosecutors revealed that Roberts deliberately misrepresented his citizenship status on official employment records while working in a district that serves approximately 30,000 students, according to the AP.
Ian Roberts, while serving as superintendent, addressed students at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines on October 21, 2024. (Photo by Jon Lemons/Des Moines Public Schools)
During his hiring process, Roberts allegedly submitted a counterfeit Social Security card and falsely claimed U.S. citizenship in an application to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, which issued him a professional administrator license that year, prosecutors said.
Roberts was first arrested on Sept. 26, 2025.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Roberts was in a school-issued vehicle when officials approached him.
ICE officials said Roberts sped away, abandoned the vehicle, and attempted to hide before being located with the assistance of state patrol officers.
At the time of the arrest, authorities said a loaded handgun wrapped in a towel was found under the seat, along with approximately $3,000 in cash inside the vehicle.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, Roberts acknowledged possessing four guns, including a loaded Glock handgun found in his vehicle. The remaining weapons were found during a search of his home and included a rifle, a shotgun, and another pistol.
Former Des Moines Public Schools superintendent Ian Roberts was arrested in 2025 on immigration and weapons charges. (Polk County Sheriff/Associated Press)
Before his time at the district, Roberts was issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge in October 2020, months before his work authorization expired, and was later subject to a final order of removal in 2024, according to the authorities.
District officials told the AP that they were unaware of any immigration-related issues involving Roberts.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) previously said Roberts had a criminal history that included a narcotics possession offense. He was also accused of unauthorized use of a vehicle, though the charge was later dropped.
Ian Roberts, former head of Des Moines Public Schools, has a long criminal history, the Department of Homeland Security said. (Getty Images)
Roberts’ attorneys had sought probation, but the judge rejected that request, according to the AP. Roberts expressed remorse at sentencing, the outlet reported.
Roberts, who is married to a U.S. citizen, was denied lawful permanent residency after officials said he failed to disclose prior arrests in his application, according to the AP. He reportedly said he did not believe disclosure was necessary because the charges had been dropped.
Following his detention, an audit also found Roberts had awarded district business to a consulting firm with which he had previously worked, prompting Des Moines Public Schools to review its conflict-of-interest policy, the outlet added.