Former Des Moines Schools Chief to Plead Guilty to False U.S. Citizenship Claim and Illegal Gun Possession

Former Des Moines Public Schools superintendent Ian Roberts, a native of Guyana who led Iowa’s largest district until his September arrest by immigration agents, is expected to plead guilty Thursday in federal court to falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and illegally possessing firearms. A plea agreement filed Wednesday shows Roberts will admit he lied on a federal I‑9 employment‑eligibility form in 2023 by attesting he was a U.S. citizen, even though his work authorization had lapsed in 2020 and he was under a final removal order by 2024, and that he unlawfully possessed guns as a non‑citizen. Roberts was arrested Sept. 26 in a targeted ICE operation, allegedly fled from agents and was later found in nearby woods; a loaded handgun wrapped in a towel and $3,000 in cash were discovered in his district‑issued Jeep Cherokee. The case has stunned Des Moines, where Roberts was popular after two decades as an educator and administrator nationwide, and has exposed gaps in how school systems and licensing boards verify immigration status for top leaders: district officials say they relied on his Social Security card, driver’s license and professional licenses and did not know about his immigration problems. The plea deal notes Roberts understands he could face deportation after serving any prison term, underscoring the personal stakes as well as the broader collision between federal immigration enforcement and public‑sector hiring in U.S. schools.