Former Iowa school chief sentenced to 2-year federal term

A former Iowa school superintendent was sentenced to two years in federal prison on Friday for falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen and illegally possessing firearms. Ian Roberts, who led the Des Moines Public Schools district, pleaded guilty to the charges in January and is likely to be deported to his native Guyana after serving his sentence.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger handed down the sentence, stating that Roberts had knowingly lied about his citizenship status to earn an incredible position of trust. Prosecutors had sought a three-year sentence, arguing that his likely deportation should not be a factor in leniency. Roberts’s lawyers had requested probation to facilitate his removal from the United States, noting the two charges together carried a maximum sentence of 20 years.

In court, Roberts told the judge he knew he had disappointed many people, including children in Des Moines and other communities where he had worked. He said he regretted his actions every single day. The judge acknowledged dozens of powerful letters of support submitted on his behalf but concluded probation was not a sufficient sentence.

Roberts was arrested last September in a...