Des Moines superintendent gets 2 years in prison as illegal alien with guns

The former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district was sentenced to two years in prison Friday after pleading guilty in January to falsely claiming U.S. citizenship on employment paperwork and illegally possessing a firearm in the United States.

Ian Andre Roberts, who serves as the top leader of Des Moines Public Schools, is expected to be deported to his native Guyana in South America after completing his sentence, according to his lawyers and the Associated Press (AP).

The decision caps a dramatic setback in the longtime educator’s two-decade career in urban education, according to the Associated Press (AP). The incident first came to light following an immigration operation in 2025 that led to his detention and resignation.

Prosecutors said Roberts knowingly misrepresented his citizenship status on employment paperwork during his time in the district, which serves 30,000 students, according to the AP.

FORMER IOWA SCHOOL PRINCIPAL ARRESTED BY ICE IS EXPECTED TO WIN FEDERAL PROSECUTIONS.

Prosecutors said Roberts presented a fake Social Security card during the hiring process and falsely claimed U.S. citizenship in an application to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, which granted him a professional administrator license that year.

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL SUSPECTED: DES MOINES PRINCIPAL’S ARREST ON ICE EXPOSES FAKE GRADES AND DRUG CONVICTIONS

Roberts was first arrested on September 26, 2025.

According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Roberts was in a school-issued vehicle when authorities approached him.

ICE officials said Roberts sped away, abandoned the vehicle and attempted to hide before being located with the help of state patrol officers.

At the time of the arrest, authorities said a loaded gun wrapped in a towel was found under the seat and approximately $3,000 in cash was found inside the vehicle.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Roberts agreed to: have four gunsincluding a loaded Glock pistol found in his vehicle. The remaining weapons were found during a search of his home; these included a rifle, a shotgun and another handgun.

Former Des Moines Public Schools superintendent Ian Roberts was arrested in 2025 on immigration and weapons charges. (Polk County Sheriff/Associated Press)

Roberts was given a notice to appear before an immigration judge in October 2020, prior to his assignment in the district, months before his work permit was due to expire, and was then subject to a final deportation order in 2024, according to authorities.

District officials told the AP they were unaware of any immigration-related issues involving Roberts.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has previously said Roberts has a criminal history that includes drug possession charges. He was also charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, but the charge was later dropped.

The Department of Homeland Security says former Des Moines Public Schools superintendent Ian Roberts has a long criminal history. (Getty Images)

According to the AP, Roberts’ lawyers requested probation, but the judge denied the request. Roberts expressed regret at the sentence, the publication reported.

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Roberts, who is married to a U.S. citizen, was denied lawful permanent residence after authorities said he failed to disclose previous arrests on his application, according to the AP. He reportedly said he did not believe the statement was necessary because the charges were dropped.

It was stated that during the audit conducted after his detention, it was also determined that Roberts had transferred district work to a consulting firm with which he had previously worked, and this led Des Moines Public Schools to review its conflict of interest policy.