by Dollia Okine, Face2FaceAfrica.com
Ian Roberts, the former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district, was sentenced to two years in prison on May 29. Roberts admitted guilt in January to charges of illegally carrying weapons and making false claims about his U.S. citizenship after being detained during a Trump administration immigration enforcement operation.
Roberts spoke with U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger for almost thirty minutes on the day of sentencing while wearing cuffs on his wrists and feet. He pleaded for leniency, admitting that his accomplishments and commitment to teaching thousands of kids did not “excuse my poor choice, my ethical lapse,” according to the Associated Press.
He also acknowledged that he knew he had let many people down, including kids. Roberts wiped away tears as he described a letter he received from a Des Moines second grader.
“I regret what I’ve done every single day,” Roberts stated.
Prosecutors argued during the trial that Roberts intentionally worked for most of his twenty years in urban education without a valid job permit.
They also claimed that he presented a falsified Social Security card when he was appointed to lead the Des Moines public school district, which is responsible for educating 30,000 students.
In her ruling, Judge Ebinger said that Roberts had intentionally lied about his citizenship status in order to gain an “incredible position of trust” and that this was “not an isolated ethical lapse.” She added that probation was insufficient as a punishment, despite calling the numerous letters of support that were filed on his behalf potent and mitigating.
His lawyers had recommended probation as a way to help him get out of the United States, but prosecutors argued his likely deportation shouldn’t be a factor. They asked for three years, the maximum allowed under the sentencing guidelines.
Roberts’ attorney believes that he will be deported to Guyana, his home country, at the end of his term.
Roberts’ wife, friends, and coworkers, including Nicole Price, an education consultant Roberts had worked with for years, were also present in the courtroom on the day of sentencing.
The Des Moines community was shocked and outraged by Roberts’ arrest in September, which coincided with the Trump administration’s widespread deportation campaign across the country.
On September 26, police stopped Roberts in his school-issued vehicle as part of a targeted investigation by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He allegedly ran away before state authorities could find him.
Authorities said a loaded handgun was wrapped in a towel under his seat, and $3,000 in cash was in the car. When his house was searched, three more firearms were found.
Roberts was already subject to a final order of removal that had been approved in 2024.
Roberts’ attorneys noted that despite marrying a U.S. citizen, he was refused lawful permanent citizenship because he failed to mention that he had been arrested in his application. He explained that since the allegations against him were dismissed, he did not think he needed to.
His attorneys wrote in a filing, “While Dr. Roberts tried to adjust his status three more times, this initial mistake by Dr. Roberts sealed his fate. In the background of his career for the next 24 years, this denial of his adjustment of status haunted Dr. Roberts like a ghost, eventually derailing his life and career.”
Meanwhile, Des Moines Public Schools said last month that it revised its conflict-of-interest policy after an audit revealed that Roberts awarded district business to Price’s consulting firm, which he worked for, confirming findings first reported by The Associated Press in the weeks after federal immigration officers detained him.