IOWA — A former Baltimore City Schools teacher and principal was sentenced to two years in prison after falsely claiming U.S. citizenship.
Ian Roberts, also a former superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was sentenced by a federal judge to two years in prison on Friday after lying about his citizenship on an employment form and for possessing guns while in the country illegally, according to the New York Times.
Roberts, who had led Iowa’s largest school district since 2023, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Sept. 26, 2025.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that Roberts was in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash and a fixed-blade hunting knife.
He resigned from his role as superintendent just days later.
Roberts emigrated from Guyana to the United States in 1994, and his employment authorization expired in 2020. However, Roberts was still able to maintain high level employment as a superintendent in one of Iowa’s largest public school systems. He was even a registered Democratic voter in Prince George County, Maryland, where he previously resided.
Before moving to Iowa, Roberts worked for nearly 8 years in Baltimore City Schools between 2001 and 2010, serving as a teacher for 5 years, a resident principal for 1 year, and a principal for 2 years.
Now, he will serve prison time.
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