An Iowan judge sentenced the former superintendent of the state’s largest school district to two years in federal jail for lying about his immigration status, since he was illegally in the country.
Ian Roberts, a native of Guyana, was a successful and well-liked superintendent, The New York Times reported. Roberts worked as superintendent for more than two years. His arrest during a school field day event sparked protests and confusion.
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On Friday, Roberts apologized for his crimes, which also included owning a gun while in the country illegally, The Times reported.
“I committed a crime,” Roberts, dressed in a green and white jail uniform, told the judge. “I broke the law — something that I’ve spent 25 years or more telling children and adults not to do.”
How did this go on for so long?
In September 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Roberts near a school after he ran from officers. ICE agents later found a gun inside his school-owned vehicle.
The Times reported that many in the community initially believed ICE made a mistake and that it was impossible that their beloved superintendent could have been illegally living in the country. But details emerged that Roberts had repeatedly lied about his immigration status.
Roberts later resigned as superintendent. During his trial, federal prosecutors outlined that Roberts had hopped from school district to school district for years.
MacKenzie Tubbs, one of the prosecutors in Roberts’ case, talked about the positive things he did as an education official in Des Moines and elsewhere. Despite his dedication to students, she said that didn’t detract from his crimes.
“He made a choice to exploit the trust that the public gave him,” Tubbs said.
What’s next?
Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger spoke to the court during her sentencing and explained why she was giving almost all of what prosecutors were asking for. She said Roberts’ crimes were a series of serious crimes and “not an isolated ethical lapse or administrative error.”
But she also praised Roberts’ efforts as the superintendent, saying he had a “positive impact in this community and others despite the deception.” She wished him “the best moving forward” before he was led out of the courtroom, The Times reported.
Des Moines Public Schools officials expect to have a permanent superintendent in place by July 2027, after interim Superintendent Matt Smith’s term ends.
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