The former head of Iowa’s largest school district is poised to enter a guilty plea on Thursday to two federal charges following an arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last year.
Ian Roberts, originally from Guyana in South America and the ex-superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was taken into custody by federal immigration officials on September 26, 2025. He resigned from his role shortly thereafter.
In October, Roberts initially asserted his innocence against charges of making a false statement for employment and unlawfully possessing a firearm while being in the U.S. illegally. Prosecutors stated these charges could result in a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
However, Roberts is now expected to plead guilty to both charges as per a plea agreement he signed on Wednesday. This agreement acknowledges that Roberts could face deportation following the completion of his sentence.
The Des Moines Public Schools board unanimously accepted Ian Roberts’ resignation, with a 7–0 vote, after ICE detained him, and authorities determined he lacked a valid license and authorization to work in the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security has previously reported that Roberts has a significant criminal record, including incidents involving drug and weapons possession.
“Ian Andre Roberts, a criminal illegal alien with multiple weapons charges and a drug trafficking charge, should have never been able to work around children,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said around the time of his arrest last September. “When ICE officers arrested this superintendent, he was in possession of an illegal handgun, a hunting knife, and nearly $3,000 in cash.”
A federal grand jury in October returned a two-count indictment. According to the plea agreement, Roberts admitted he knowingly and intentionally made a “false attestation” on the Employment Eligibility Verification form, known as an I-9, that he submitted in Des Moines, claiming he was a U.S. citizen. That carries a punishment of up to five years in prison and a fine.
Ian Roberts, the former superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, speaks to students at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines on Oct. 21, 2024. (Jon Lemons/Des Moines Public Schools via AP)
Roberts completed the I-9 form when he was hired in 2023 and submitted a Social Security card and driver’s license as verifying documents, according to the district. He also stated he was a U.S. citizen in his application to the state board of educational examiners, which issued Roberts a professional administrator license in 2023.
Roberts was subject to a notice to appear before an immigration judge in October 2020, just months before his work authorization was set to expire, and a final removal order in 2024, authorities said. District officials said they were not aware of the immigration issues, The Associated Press reported.
Alfredo Parrish, one of Roberts’ attorneys, has said his client was under the impression from a prior attorney that his immigration case was “resolved successfully.”
Roberts also faces a federal weapons charge, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine. The indictment describes two pistols, a rifle and a shotgun found in Roberts’ possession. In addition to the one in his vehicle when he was arrested, three firearms were found during a search of Roberts’ home, authorities said.
Ian Roberts, the former superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, delivers an annual address at North High School in Des Moines, Iowa, on Feb. 11, 2025. (Jon Lemons/Des Moines Public Schools via AP)
Roberts will agree to forfeit the weapons, according to the agreement.
