Guyana Native Overstayed Student Visa, Registered as Democrat Voter, and Armed Himself Illegally While Leading Iowa’s Largest School District
Ian Andre Roberts, the former superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa, pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to falsely claiming U.S. citizenship on federal employment forms and illegally possessing firearms as an unlawful alien.
He initially pleaded not guilty and had a trial set for March. Now, he’s facing a combined maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Not to mention, potential deportation after serving any potential sentence handed down.
Roberts was arrested by ICE in September for illegally overstaying a 1999 student visa. Previous reporting indicated that he had been registered to vote as a Democrat in Maryland since 2012. The Maryland State Board of Elections previously claimed that, despite the registration, Roberts did not actually vote in elections.
The 35-year-old native of Guyana in South America admitted, according to court documents obtained by Fox News, to making a false statement by attesting to U.S. citizenship on his Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9) form when he was hired by the district in 2023.
During his arrest by ICE, agents discovered a loaded Glock handgun in his vehicle along with a fixed-blade hunting knife and thousands in cash; additional firearms—a rifle, shotgun, and pistol—were later recovered from his home. Under this new plea deal, Roberts admits to having possessed those weapons.