The former superintendent of Iowa's largest school district was sentenced Friday to two years in prison after pleading guilty in January to falsely claiming U.S.citizenship on employment paperwork and illegally possessing firearms while unlawfully in the United StatesIan Andre Roberts, who served as the top leader of Des Moines Public Schools, is expected to be deported to his native Guyana in South America after completing his sentence, according to his attorneys and the Associated Press (AP).The ruling caps a dramatic downturn in the longtime educator’s two-decade career in urban education, according to the Associated Press (AP).
It first unraveled after an immigration operation led to his detention and resignation in 2025.Prosecutors said Roberts knowingly misrepresented his citizenship status on employment paperwork during his time at the district, which serves 30,000 students, according to the AP.FORMER IOWA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT ARRESTED BY ICE EXPECTED TO PLEAD GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHARGESIan Roberts, former superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, speaks to students at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines on Oct.21, 2024.
(Jon Lemons/Des Moines Public Schools)During his hiring process, Roberts allegedly submitted a counterfeit Social Security card and falsely claimed U.S.citizenship in an application to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, which issued him a professional administrator license that year, prosecutors said.SCHOOL CHIEF TO SUSPECT: ICE ARREST OF DES MOINES SUPERINTENDENT EXPOSES FAKE DEGREES, DRUG CONVICTIONSRoberts was first arrested on Sept.
26, 2025.According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Roberts was in a school-issued vehicle when officials approached him.ICE officials said Roberts sped away, abandoned the vehicle, and attempted to hide before being located with the assistance of state patrol officers.At the time of the arrest, authorities said a loaded handgun wrapped in a towel was found under the seat, al...