Guyana-born Dr. Ian Roberts, the former Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) in Iowa, was sentenced Monday to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to immigration and weapons charges.
Roberts, who represented Guyana at the 2000 Olympics before building a career in education in the United States, was arrested in September 2024 amid a crackdown on illegal immigration. He had first arrived in the US on a student visa and had been living there since 1999.
He rose to become Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools in July 2023 the first Black superintendent in the district’s history and was widely praised for his leadership of Iowa’s largest school district. He resigned in October 2024 following his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
In a plea deal with prosecutors, Roberts admitted to falsely claiming US citizenship when he was hired by the school district, at a time when he had no legal authorization to work in the country. A federal judge had issued a removal order against him in 2024.
Roberts also pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of firearms. Investigators recovered four guns from his vehicle and home following his arrest, including a loaded handgun found in his district-issued car.
The US Attorney had recommended a sentence of 37 months, while defense attorneys sought probation. The presiding judge, Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger, recommended that Roberts be placed in a facility that would expedite his deportation upon completion of his sentence. His attorney noted that credit for time already served estimated at around nine months would be applied to his sentence.
