A federal judge sentenced former Des Moines school superintendent Ian Roberts to two years in prison after he pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as an illegal alien and making a false statement for employment. The ruling came with the judge citing what she
Ian Roberts knew the end was coming by the time he was escorted into court.
Two U.S. marshals led the former superintendent into the room. and he wore a green prison uniform with a beard that had grown longer and gray at the edges since the last time he appeared publicly as the polished leader of Iowa’s largest and most diverse school district. When he spoke. the admission was plain: he had lied about his legal status to Des Moines Public Schools and other employers. and he had lied to the colleges where he studied.
On May 29, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger sentenced Roberts to two years in prison after his guilty plea to federal charges. The former educational “rising star” had sought probation instead.
Goodgame Ebinger said she considered Roberts’ background, including the fact that he grew up in poverty in his native Guyana, and she also pointed to the good she believed he has done as an education professional. But she concluded that the seriousness of his crimes required prison.
“This is a continuation of purposeful deception,” Goodgame Ebinger said. “This was not an isolated ethical lapse or administrative error.”
After serving his sentence, Roberts is expected to be deported. The judge granted prosecutors’ request that he be sent to a facility designed to expedite his removal after his prison term is completed.
Roberts, who had resigned as superintendent after his arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, acknowledged the conduct at sentencing. Leaning into a microphone with his hands in his lap, he said: “I committed a crime. I broke the law – something I spent 25 years or more telling kids and adults not to do.” He added. “I regret what I’ve done every day.”.
He had pleaded guilty on Jan. 22 to two federal charges: possessing a firearm as an illegal alien and making a false statement for employment. Roberts’ request for probation was rejected.
Prosecutors said Roberts had four guns, including a loaded handgun left in his district-owned vehicle after he attempted to flee from ICE agents during his arrest. They also said he falsely attested he was a U.S. citizen when he filled out his I-9 employment authorization to work in Des Moines.
The U.S. government recommended a three-year prison term after a presentence investigation report placed the appropriate range at between 30 and 37 months. The maximum sentence for the offenses was 20 years in prison and $500,000 in fines, according to the sentencing recommendation.
Roberts’ defense argued the opposite. In a May 22 sentencing brief unsealed Wednesday, attorneys said probation—rather than prison—was appropriate. They asked the court to consider “unique circumstances. ” including the time he already had served and the period he would spend in custody awaiting deportation to Guyana.
The 173-page brief leaned heavily on Roberts’ life story to support leniency, describing him as “born into poverty in one of the world’s poorest nations” and asserting that he had “a snowball’s chance in hell of succeeding,” while still making “an enormous impact in each community he worked.”
Roberts’ hiring set the stage for the case. His appointment as superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools was announced July 1, 2023. At the time. he touted his background as a former Olympian for Guyana in track and field during the 2000 games. along with his work as superintendent of a school district in Erie. Pennsylvania. and other leadership roles around the country. He was also described as the first person of color to lead Iowa’s largest, most diverse school district.
“I am a champion for teachers. I am committed to coaching and developing leaders,” Roberts said at a news conference after his selection was announced.
Support followed him at first, but the allegations that followed were devastating. Investigations by the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that Roberts was a “serial prevaricator,” claiming achievements and honors he had not earned.
Federal authorities arrested Roberts last year after a deportation order became the basis for the action—issued in 2024 by an immigration judge in Texas. though Des Moines school officials were reportedly unaware of it. When federal agents moved to arrest him, Roberts abandoned a school district-owned vehicle and tried to flee. During the arrest, agents found a loaded gun, a large amount of cash, and a hunting knife.
Students and staff protested in support of Roberts in the days after the arrest. He resigned on Sept. 30.
As the legal case unfolded. another fight emerged in parallel—one involving the search firm hired to find and vet him. In the months after Roberts’ falsehoods came to light. the Des Moines School Board sued JG Consulting. the search firm. accusing it of negligence. fraudulent misrepresentation. and breach of contract. JG Consulting has countered. accusing the district of defamation and saying it was the district’s responsibility to confirm Roberts’ citizenship and clearance to work in the U.S.
By the time Roberts left the courtroom for the next stage of his case. the central thread was no longer his résumé. his speeches. or his reputation in education. It was the admission that he knowingly misrepresented his legal status for employment—and the judge’s determination that the deception was deliberate enough to warrant prison time.
Ian Roberts Des Moines Public Schools superintendent sentencing prison false citizenship claim I-9 employment ICE deportation Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger JG Consulting