A former Iowa schools superintendent on Thursday admitted to a court that he had misrepresented himself as a U.S. citizen on an employment form, in a case that shocked the Des Moines school district after his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last year.
Court filings show Ian Roberts pleaded guilty to falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen in his employment documentation in June 2023, when he was hired by the Des Moines School Board, and to possessing firearms while he was in the country illegally. A sentencing hearing is set for May 29.
In September last year, Roberts was apprehended in Des Moines by ICE officers after fleeing and hiding in brush, according to a police complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
His arrest sparked a debate about how Roberts rose through the ranks of the education sector with apparently little oversight of his immigration status, The Washington Post reported, with the scrutiny also bringing to light that he had several prior weapons charges and a history of making false claims.
Roberts, who started his career as a substitute teacher in New York, also held leadership positions in public school districts in Baltimore, St. Louis and Washington. He came to Des Moines after spending three years as superintendent of the Millcreek Township School District in Pennsylvania.
A citizen of Guyana, he first entered the United States in 1999 on a student visa that expired in 2004, according to the complaint. Roberts represented Guyana at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, competing in the 800-meter race.
He has been subject to a removal order since May 2024 and did not have lawful work authorization while he was employed to oversee Des Moines Public Schools, according to the complaint.
The Des Moines School Board in October announced it was suing JG Consulting, the outside firm it hired to find candidates for the role of superintendent when Roberts was hired. The firm called the lawsuit “unwarranted” and committed to defend itself in court, according to local media.
Then-school board chair Jackie Norris said at the time that the board was “also a victim of deception,” included on “a growing list that includes our students and teachers, our parents and community.”
Roberts made multiple green card applications between 2001 and 2018, all of which were rejected, according to the complaint. Another application based on marriage to a U.S. citizen was denied in 2020 because he failed to respond to a request for additional information, it says.
Marianne LeVine contributed to this report.
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