(Headline USA) The former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district, who turned out to be an illegal immigrant, was sentenced Friday to two years in prison.
Ian Roberts is likely to be deported to his native Guyana in South America once he serves the sentence. He pleaded guilty in January to falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen and illegally possessing firearms, which together carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. His lawyers had proposed that he be put on probation “to facilitate his removal from the United States,” but prosecutors had argued that his likely deportation should not be a factor.
Prosecutors alleged Roberts knowingly lacked employment authorization for nearly all of his two-decade career in urban education and submitted a counterfeit Social Security card when he was hired as superintendent of the Des Moines public school district, which serves 30,000 students.
UPDATE ON DES MOINES PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT ARRESTED BY ICE
ICE Des Moines arrested Ian Andre Roberts, a criminal illegal alien from Guyana, in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash and a fixed blade hunting knife, after he tried to evade arrest.
⬇️ https://t.co/wE49Gb5waZ pic.twitter.com/n2vn2HR4xG— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) May 27, 2026
Roberts’ stunning case bookended the school year. His September arrest occurred as President Donald Trump’s administration was sending increased numbers of federal immigration officers into American cities to round up illegal immigrants.
Des Moines Public Schools said last month that it revised its conflict-of-interest policy after an audit found Roberts awarded district business to a consulting firm he worked for.
Roberts was in his school-issued vehicle when officers stopped him on Sept. 26 in a targeted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation. He allegedly fled before he was located with the help of state troopers. Authorities said a loaded handgun was wrapped in a towel under the seat and $3,000 in cash was in the car. Three other weapons were recovered during a search of his home.
In recommending a three-year sentence, prosecutors described a yearslong and deliberate misrepresentation of his legal status. Prosecutors said a reduced sentence is not appropriate just because Roberts is likely to be deported.
They said they do not know what documents Roberts presented to show eligibility for work dating back to 2008, years before he was approved for temporary status in 2018, but he “deliberately obtained employment without work authorization at school after school, within state after state.”
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
