A criminal illegal alien who had been hired by public school officials in Des Moines, Iowa, and was working as their superintendent has changed his plea to guilty.
Ian Roberts agreed during a court hearing to admit to possessing a weapon as an illegal alien and lying about his immigration status on employee forms when he began working as superintendent there two years ago.
A report at the Federalist explained the gun charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years while making false statements comes with a five-year term.
Also included is a maximum $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
The plea agreement submitted to the court also provides that Roberts may be deported following the completion of his sentences.
In return, prosecutors say they won’t file more charges.
His trial had been scheduled for March.
School officials said they were not commenting on the situation.
“Our focus at DMPS remains on serving the educational needs of students in Des Moines and delivering on commitments made to our community, including the voter-approved bond to advance our Reimagining Education initiative,” a statement from the school district said.
The report said, “Roberts was the district’s prize DEI hire. His fall from grace was stunning.”
He was arrested Sept. 26 while carrying a Glock 9mm gun, a fixed-blade hunting knife and $3,000 in cash.
Court records show he quickly quit his job even as the board prepared to fire him.
The Department of Homeland Security said Roberts had a long criminal history, including “charges for possession of narcotics with intent to sell, criminal possession of a forgery instrument, and other offenses. He’s been convicted of reckless driving and has previously been convicted of criminal gun possession charges.”
Further, he hadn’t been authorized to work in the U.S. since 2020, and he was ordered removed in 2024.
He originally came to the U.S. in 1994 as a visitor.
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