A former Iowa school official who was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last year is reportedly set to plead guilty to federal charges against him.
A 15-page federal plea agreement shows that former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts will be pleading guilty Thursday to the charges of making a false statement for employment and unlawfully possessing a firearm while being in the U.S. illegally, WHO 13 reported.
The native of Guyana in South America was detained by federal immigration officers last September and resigned from his position afterward.
Ian Andre Roberts, a criminal illegal alien from Guyana, who was serving as Des Moines, Iowa’s school superintendent at the time of his Sept. 26 arrest. When ICE officers arrested this Superintendent, he was in possession of an illegal handgun, a hunting knife, and nearly $3,000… pic.twitter.com/yalJgMBBOW
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 20, 2026
“If convicted, Roberts could face significant prison time, potentially up to 20 years. The date next to his signature on the paperwork shows he signed the plea agreement on Wednesday, a move that could prevent the maximum sentence,” WHO 13 reported. “Roberts, a federal inmate in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, has been incarcerated at the Polk County Jail, where he has been held for more than three months. Previous court filings had indicated he had been negotiating with government prosecutors.”
(Video Credit WHO 13)
At the time of Roberts’ arrest last year, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the “criminal illegal alien with multiple weapons charges and a drug trafficking charge, should have never been able to work around children.”
“When ICE officers arrested this superintendent, he was in possession of an illegal handgun, a hunting knife, and nearly $3,000 in cash,” she said at the time.
Though he initially pleaded not guilty to claiming he was a U.S. citizen on his employment application and of owning weapons, court documents showed that Roberts “now admits to knowingly and intentionally providing false information about his immigration status on his DMPS application, while being aware he was ‘unlawfully’ present in the United States. He also admits to possessing multiple firearms that at some point crossed state lines,” WHO 13 noted.
IAN ROBERTS PLEA AGREEMENT: Court records signed today by former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts show he plans to plead guilty to both of his federal charges in court tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/HIrUMLKeV0
— Katie Kaplan (@KatieKaplanTV) January 22, 2026
“Those are very serious offenses,” former Assistant U.S. Attorney Bob Teig told the outlet. “And it could make it very difficult, unless there had been some type of extenuating circumstances that are being taken into account.”
Roberts has reportedly agreed to give up his firearms, and documents show he could be deported immediately after serving his prison sentence, which could be up to 20 years, as well as fines that could total as much as $500,000.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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