Ian Roberts, the former Des Moines (Iowa) schools superintendent, has been sentenced to serve two years in prison after being convicted on immigration and gun charges.
The Des Moines Register reports that the sentence was a year less than what prosecutors requested.
Roberts resigned as superintendent after his Sept. 26 arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. He pleaded guilty in January to possessing a firearm as an illegal alien and making a false statement for employment.
Prosecutors say Roberts falsely attested he was a U.S. citizen when filling out his I-9 employment authorization to work in Des Moines.
UIn sentencing Robers, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger said she had taken into account Roberts' circumstances growing up in poverty in Guyana and the good he has done as an education professional. But she concluded that the seriousness of his crimes warranted some prison time.
Roberts is expected to be deported after serving his sentence.
At the time of his arrest, Roberts had lacked authorization to work in the country since 2020. Roberts' arrest was the result of a final deportation order an immigration judge in Texas issued in 2024.
Upon his arrest, he was found to have a loaded gun, a large amount of cash, and a hunting knife. He resigned as superintendent on Sept. 30.
After Roberts' falsehoods were uncoverd, the Des Moines school board sued JG Consulting, the search firm that helped the school district find and vet Roberts, accusing it of negligence, fraudulent misrepresentation and breach of contract. The company has countersued, accusing the district of defamation and contending it was the district's responsibility to confirm Roberts' citizenship and clearance to work in the U.S.
