Ian Roberts, the previous superintendent of Des Moines Public Faculties, has pleaded responsible to 2 federal fees.
In line with ABC Information, Roberts has not been approved to work in America since 2020. Regardless of that, he served as superintendent of Iowa’s largest training system for 2 years earlier than being arrested by ICE brokers final September. Prosecutors mentioned a loaded handgun was present in Roberts’s automobile on the time of his arrest, and three different firearms have been present in his dwelling. Roberts resigned from his place as superintendent solely days after his arrest.
A federal grand jury indicted Roberts on fees of unlawful alien in possession of a firearm and false assertion for employment for claiming he was a U.S. citizen on a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Companies Employment Verification Kind I-9 he stuffed out to develop into the superintendent of Des Moines Public Faculties. Roberts was born in Guyana and acquired a scholar visa in 1999 that expired in 2004.
Regardless of Roberts clearly committing against the law, he was nonetheless a beloved member of the neighborhood. A lot in order that Des Moines residents initially thought that ICE arrested him for one thing he didn’t do. Protests have been held all through Des Moines, and college students even staged a walkout in assist of Roberts. Throughout his tenure as superintendent, he was credited with implementing methods that improved college students’ educational success, and he often visited school rooms. Iowa’s Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds even posted an image on X, sharing one in every of their conferences.
Love NewsOne? Get extra! Be part of the NewsOne E-newsletter
We care about your knowledge. See our privateness coverage.
Though he was well-liked and made a tangible enchancment within the lives of Des Moines’ college students, an investigative report by The New York Instances discovered that his profession as an educator was constructed on a collection of lies.
From The New York Instances:
As questions unfold about Dr. Roberts, a deeper assessment of his background revealed that he lied, stretched the reality or made public statements that might not be verified on a variety of points.
When Dr. Roberts utilized for the Pennsylvania job, he claimed to have a doctorate from Morgan State College. Although he was enrolled at Morgan State for a number of years, college officers mentioned he by no means acquired that diploma. His declare of a Morgan State doctorate was repeated on his preliminary utility in Iowa, although his résumé was amended after the consulting agency found the discrepancy.
An article on the Des Moines Public Faculties web site mentioned Dr. Roberts acquired a grasp’s diploma from M.I.T., which mentioned it had no file of his enrollment. And Dr. Roberts additionally mentioned on job purposes that he was named “D.C. Principal of the Yr” by George Washington College, although the college mentioned it had no file of giving such an award to anybody.
ICE has mentioned paperwork present Roberts had authorized authorization to work within the U.S. from 2018-2020. He filed a number of instances for a inexperienced card after marrying an American citizen in 2017, however was denied for unknown causes. Roberts continued working because the superintendent of Des Moines Public Faculties, regardless of a Texas choose ordering his deportation in 2024.
The New York Instances experiences that Roberts’s arrest has had rippling penalties all through Iowa. Jackie Norris, a Democrat who was chair of the Des Moines faculty board when Roberts was arrested, stepped down from her function and ended her U.S. Senate marketing campaign. The Division of Justice has opened an investigation to see if Iowa’s affirmative motion insurance policies adjust to federal regulation, and Des Moines Public Faculties has filed a lawsuit in opposition to a consulting agency for failing to correctly vet Roberts throughout the hiring course of.
In line with his plea settlement, Ian Roberts faces as much as 15 years in jail for the weapons cost and 5 years for the false statements cost. Whereas the federal government has made no guarantees on how he can be sentenced and gained’t drop both cost, they may advocate to the choose that he obtain credit score for accepting accountability. After serving his sentence, Roberts will doubtless be deported, and his responsible plea will hamper his capacity to problem his removing.
SEE ALSO:
Former Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts Arrested By ICE
Trump’s Harmful Proposal To Deport All Undocumented Immigrants
