Des Moines, Iowa – the Previous supervisor One of Iowa’s largest school districts is scheduled to learn Friday how long he will serve in prison He falsely claims to be an American citizen and illegal possession of firearms. He is scheduled to serve his sentence before likely being deported.
Ian Roberts, a citizen of Guyana, South America, pleaded guilty last January Both chargesTogether, they carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. His lawyers are proposing to put him on probation “to facilitate his removal from the United States,” but federal prosecutors have recommended he spend 37 months — just over three years — in prison, according to court documents.
Prosecutors alleged that Roberts intentionally lacked a work permit throughout his two-decade career in urban education and provided a false Social Security card when he was hired as superintendent of the Des Moines Public School District, which serves 30,000 students.
From Roberts’ arrest on Sept. 26 to Friday’s sentencing hearing, this astonishing case has bookended the school year. Des Moines Public Schools he said last month It revised its conflict of interest policy after an audit found that Roberts awarded district work to a consulting firm he worked for, confirming the findings. Reported for the first time By The Associated Press in the weeks after federal immigration officers arrested him.
Roberts was targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and stopped in his school-issued Jeep Cherokee. He allegedly fled before being located with the assistance of state troopers. A loaded handgun was wrapped in a towel under the seat and there was $3,000 in cash in the car, authorities said. Three other weapons were found during a search of his home.
In a lawsuit, Roberts’ lawyers said he had dedicated his life in the United States to public service, and that despite his failure to comply with federal laws, he did not pose a threat to public safety. His lawyers said that after Roberts married a US citizen, he was denied legal permanent residency because he failed to disclose at the time of his arrest. He said he didn’t think he needed to because the charges against him were dropped.
“While Dr. Roberts tried to adjust his status three more times, this initial mistake by Dr. Roberts sealed his fate,” his attorneys wrote. “In the backdrop of his career for the next 24 years, this denial of adjustment of status haunted Dr. Roberts like a ghost, ultimately derailing his life and career.”
Dozens of people submitted letters on behalf of Roberts to object to the way he has been portrayed and provide details of his positive influence. His lawyers suggest he could potentially face deportation to Guyana, writing: “He will be left without his career, without his wife, without his children, in a country he has not lived in for thirty years.” “Although this is the right outcome, it would be incredibly harsh on Dr. Roberts.”
Prosecutors said Roberts “placed his own self-interest above the law and the duty he owed to the public he served.” In recommending a three-year prison sentence, prosecutors described the intentional misrepresentation of his legal status over the course of years. They said they did not know what documents Roberts submitted to show his eligibility to work dating back to 2008, years before he was approved for temporary status in 2018, but that he “intentionally obtained work without a work permit in school after school, within state after state” despite knowing he was not in the United States legally.
This is important and should be factored into the judge’s sentencing decision, prosecutors said, adding that a lighter sentence is not appropriate simply because Roberts is likely to be deported.
Roberts “fostered a public image based on integrity, leadership, and authenticity,” prosecutors wrote. However, he “engaged in conduct that undermined those values.”