Ian Andre Roberts, the former superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools and a native of Guyana, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and illegally possessing firearms while unlawfully present in the United States. Yes—while running Iowa’s largest school district, he was allegedly breaking immigration law, lying on federal forms, and stockpiling weapons. But don’t worry, we’re told this never happens.
Roberts originally pleaded not guilty and had a trial scheduled for March. That tune changed quickly. Under his plea, he now faces a combined maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison—followed, potentially, by deportation. A long-overdue ending to a story that never should have begun.
According to federal authorities, Roberts overstayed a student visa issued in 1999. Despite that, he somehow managed to rise through the system and land a $270,000-a-year job overseeing thousands of children. Along the way, he falsely attested that he was a U.S. citizen on an Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9) form when he was hired by the Des Moines school district in 2023.
And that wasn’t the only form where the truth took a vacation.
Previous reporting revealed Roberts had been registered to vote as a Democrat in Maryland since 2012, where he checked “yes” to U.S. citizenship on voter registration documents. The Maryland State Board of Elections later claimed he never actually cast a ballot—but the fact remains: an illegal alien was registered to vote. That thing Democrats and the media swear doesn’t happen? It happened.
ICE arrested Roberts in September. During the arrest, agents discovered a loaded Glock handgun in his vehicle, along with a fixed-blade hunting knife and thousands of dollars in cash. A subsequent search of his home uncovered even more firearms—a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. As part of the plea deal, Roberts admitted to possessing those weapons illegally.
As RedState’s Jennifer Oliver O’Connell previously reported, Roberts also had an extensive criminal history and a documented pattern of immigration fraud, including prior drug and weapons offenses. In other words, plenty of red flags—if anyone had bothered to look.
“With Roberts’ criminal background, he should have never been allowed to be around children, let alone become a superintendent of schools,” O’Connell wrote.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin echoed that assessment at the time of his arrest.
“Ian Andre Roberts, a criminal illegal alien with multiple weapons charges and a drug trafficking charge, should have never been able to work around children,” she said.
Frankly, he shouldn’t have been around adults either. He should have been deported years ago.
The Roberts case is a perfect snapshot of what a broken immigration system produces: illegal entry ➝ fraud ➝ drugs ➝ weapons ➝ a six-figure government job. All while the political class insists the system is working just fine.
Even worse, Roberts did exactly what Democrats repeatedly claim never occurs—he registered to vote. And, predictably, he registered as a Democrat.
His guilty plea comes as President Donald Trump has warned that accountability is coming, including renewed scrutiny of election integrity and systemic failures that allowed abuses like this to occur. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
RedState will continue to follow the Ian Andre Roberts case as more details emerge.
