DES MOINES, Iowa — On Friday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released more information about former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts’ alleged criminal background.

Roberts, who is accused of being in the country illegally, was arrested by ICE on September 26 after officials say he allegedly fled from officers and was found with a loaded gun, a fixed-blade knife, and $3,000 in cash in his possession. Officials also say that additional firearms were found during the execution of a search warrant of his home.

ICE has now released a timeline of alleged criminal conduct by Roberts, saying his “rap sheet and immigration history reveal a long record of criminal conduct in the United States.” ICE goes on to say that “he [Roberts] should never have been serving in a role overseeing children in Iowa’s largest school district.”

The timeline of events that were provided in a press release from ICE includes the following:

• July 3, 1996: Roberts is charged with criminal possession of narcotics with intent to sell, criminal possession of narcotics, criminal possession of forgery instrument and possession of a forged instrument in New York.
  • ICE does not provide the outcome of these charges.
• November 13, 1998: Roberts is charged with third-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle in New York.
  • ICE says this charge was dismissed in July 1999
• November 1, 2012: Roberts is convicted of reckless driving, unsafe operation and speeding in Maryland.
• February 3, 2020: Roberts is charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and fourth-degree weapon charges.
  • ICE says that the second-degree criminal possession of a weapon charge was
    “inchoate.”
  • ICE does not list where these charges were filed or the outcome of the charges.
• January 20, 2022: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania convicts Roberts of unlawful possession of a loaded firearm.
  • WHO 13 has been able to confirm that Roberts pled guilty to this charge.
• September 26, 2025: Roberts was arrested by ICE officials in Des Moines.
• October 2, 2025: Roberts was federally charged with being in the country illegally and being in possession of firearms.

Previously, the Department of Justice detailed Roberts’ immigration history, stating that he entered the country in 1999 on a student visa that then expired in 2004. In the years following, the DOJ says Roberts applied multiple times for permanent status, but was denied each time, which culminated in an immigration judge issuing Roberts a final order of removal in 2024. The DOJ also said that Roberts had work authorization from 2018-2020, but that authorization expired in December 2020 and was not reauthorized.

As a result of the recent developments regarding Roberts history, two of his prior school districts, including DMPS, are considering taking legal action against him and/or the search firms who helped in the hiring of Roberts for the superintendent positions. On Friday morning during a special session, the DMPS school board voted to pursue legal action against the search firm, JG Consulting, for the hiring of Roberts.