As AFN has reported, Ian Andre Roberts was arrested In September 2025. In a press release announcing the arrest, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) described him as a "a criminal illegal alien from Guyana" who "was in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash, and a fixed blade hunting knife."
At the time of his arrest, Roberts was working as the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, despite being an illegal alien with a final order of removal and no work authorization.
In the courtroom Friday, with his wrists and feet cuffed, Roberts reportedly spoke to U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger for nearly a half hour. Acknowledging that his achievements did not "excuse my poor choice, my ethical lapse," he pleaded for leniency.
In explaining her decision that he serve a two-year jail sentence, Judge Ebinger pointed out that Roberts knowingly lied about his citizenship status to earn an "incredible position of trust" and said it was "not an isolated ethical lapse," making probation an insufficient sentence.
He likely faces deportation after the sentence is completed.
Jeff Stein, an attorney and radio host in Iowa, says the prosecution asked for three years while the defense wanted straight probation.
"This is the judge sort of evaluating independently, recognizing that to simply let him leave and be taken back to Guyana to be deported without any prison time would send a very bad signal," Stein explains. "I have a feeling that the prosecution asked for three years, figuring it might be something less."
Given the totality of the circumstances, Stein agrees that Roberts had to do some prison time.
"You're not only talking about deception and fraud with regard to his academic credentials, but all of the weapons violations," he notes. "Anyone else with similar charges would have wound up with prison time. It's a very consistent sentence for the jurisdiction."
He is struck by the fact that someone is still posting to Roberts' LinkedIn account with writings attributed to the former superintendent and that so many people are responding favorably to those posts, apparently ignoring the fact that he had weapons in school vehicles.
"Among a certain diehard group of devotees, he apparently still is a popular figure," Stein summarizes about the reaction in Iowa.
He says the prevailing view otherwise is "this is what you get when you hire based on factors other than competency and when you are too willing to ignore red flags because you have an agenda you're trying to meet."
People from areas outside of Des Moines do not understand how Roberts could have gotten hired in the first place or why certain other people who are responsible for the hiring are not also being held accountable, though the school district maintains it did nothing wrong. It has filed a lawsuit against JG Consulting, the education-focused firm the district used in its search for superintendent candidates.
An interim superintendent is currently in place over the Des Moines Public School system, but even with the salary and the opportunities of the position, Stein thinks the district will have a difficult time finding a full-time replacement.
