Former Iowa schools chief gets two years for citizenship lie

Ian Roberts was sentenced Friday to two years in federal prison after federal prosecutors said the former Des Moines Public Schools superintendent built his rise on a basic lie about citizenship, then was found with loaded weapons in his vehicle and home. Before U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger, Roberts said, “I regret what I’ve done every single day.”

Roberts, 55, pleaded guilty on January 22, 2026, to False Statement for Employment and Illegal Alien in Possession of a Firearm. Prosecutors said he falsely claimed U.S. citizenship on employment paperwork tied to his June 2023 hiring to lead Des Moines Public Schools, which serves about 30,000 students. They said Roberts was not and has never been a U.S. citizen.

The prison term came after prosecutors sought 37 months and said the combined charges carried as much as 20 years behind bars. They also said Roberts could face immediate removal after serving his sentence, a prospect that underscores how quickly a local hiring decision turned into a federal immigration and firearms case with consequences stretching far beyond Des Moines.

Roberts’ downfall became public after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him during a targeted operation in September 2025. On September 26, 2025, authorities said, he was found with a loaded Glock pistol in his vehicle, and three more firearms were recovered from his residence: a loaded pistol, a loaded rifle and a shotgun. The case pulled in agents from the U.S. Department of Justice, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations and ICE.

But the central question for Iowa’s largest school district is how Roberts reached the top at all. After his detention, the Des Moines School Board sued the superintendent search firm, JG Consulting, and said the board had been “deceived.” Jackie Norris, the board president, said the district was the victim of deception, a stark admission that the gatekeeping process failed at the most basic level.

Roberts had served as superintendent for two years before the arrest forced his resignation. His lawyer, Alfredo Parrish, had argued for probation, saying the case involved unique circumstances, while the plea agreement said Roberts could be removed immediately after his prison term. For Des Moines families, the case has become more than a personal collapse. It is a test of whether school boards, search firms and public institutions can be trusted to verify the people they place in charge of children’s education.