DES MOINES, Iowa — Former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts is now facing a federal firearms charge.

According to the Department of Justice, Roberts made an initial appearance in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa on Wednesday for a criminal charge of “being an illegal alien in possession of firearms.”

A criminal complaint accuses Roberts of possessing four firearms.

On Friday, September 26 officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been performing surveillance at Roberts’ home in Des Moines when they witnessed him leave in a Jeep Cherokee with Iowa official tags.

The complaint states that Roberts drove away from his home at a high rate of speed and turned into a mobile home park. ICE officers, who were dressed in clothing that displayed themselves as ICE officials, approached Roberts’ vehicle, but he fled, the complaint states.

The Jeep was later found abandoned and, after a search of the area, Roberts’ was taken into custody.

According to the complaint, a loaded Glock, Model 19, nine millimeter pistol, was found wrapped up in a towel inside the Jeep.

That same day a search warrant was executed at Roberts’ home. Court records say that three firearms were located — a loaded Sig Sauer P320 pistol, a loaded Remington 738 rifle, and a Remington 870 shotgun. Multiple magazines and ammunition in various calibers were also found.

Roberts history of legal status

According to federal court documents filed Wednesday, Roberts, a citizen of Guyana, entered the country in March 1999 on an F-1 student visa that expired in March of 2004. Over several years, court records say that Roberts applied for permanent residence, specifically in May 2001, May 2018, and June 2018, but each time was denied.

In July 2018, Roberts applied again for permanent residence following his marriage to a reported US citizen, but that request was denied in January 2020 because he failed to respond to requests for additional information, court records state.

Roberts’ did have authorization to work in the country from December 2018 to December 2019. But, court records say that from December 2020 to the present he did not have authorization to work in the country.

As previously reported, officials say that Roberts’ received a final order of removal from an immigration judge in May 2024. According to court records, in April 2025 Roberts filed a motion to reopen the proceedings, claiming he did not receive the 2024 notice, but a judge denied the motion, finding Roberts had not provided enough evidence proving he did not receive the removal order.

Court records say that during the execution of the search warrant Friday law enforcement discovered immigration court documents from the United States Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review Dallas Immigration Court under the floor mat in the back seat of a Ford Mustang parked in the garage of the residence. The documents detailed the May 2024 order that Roberts be removed from the country, court records state.

Law enforcement also found copies of Roberts’ expired passport from Guyana, issued in Jan. 2019 and expired in Jan. 2024, and an expired employment authorization card that was issued in Dec. 2018 and expired a year later in Dec. 2019, according to court documents.