Former Iowa Superintendent Pleads Guilty to False Citizenship Claim

Ian Roberts, the former superintendent of Iowa's largest public school district, pleaded guilty on January 22 in federal court in Des Moines to charges of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship for employment and possessing firearms as an unauthorized immigrant. The Guyana native, who led the 30,000-student Des Moines Public Schools for about two years, faces up to 20 years in prison and almost certain deportation following any sentence.

Roberts, 55, entered the plea during a brief hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Helen C. Adams in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. He had initially pleaded not guilty after a federal grand jury indicted him in October on the two felony counts. The first charge stems from Roberts' June 2023 hiring as superintendent, when he submitted an Employment Eligibility Verification form, known as an I-9, attesting under penalty of perjury that he was a U.S. citizen. He supported the claim with a Social Security card and driver's license, according to court records and district officials. He also stated his citizenship on an application to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, which granted him a professional administrator license...