DES MOINES, Iowa — Former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to federal charges filed against him.

In September, Roberts, who’s accused of being in the country illegally, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after allegedly fleeing from officers and having a loaded handgun, a fixed-blade knife, and $3,000 in cash in his possession at the time of his arrest. ICE also said that several more firearms were found in his home during the execution of a search warrant.

Roberts was indicted with “being an illegal alien in possession of firearms” in federal court shortly after his arrest.

Court records say that Roberts, a citizen of Guyana, was in the US in March 1999 on a student visa that then expired in 2004. For several years, Roberts applied for permanent residence, but court records say that he was denied each time. Roberts had work authorization from December 2018 to December 2020, but in the years since court records claim he was not authorized to work in the country and was eventually issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024.

Last week, Roberts was indicted with “false statement for employment” for allegedly falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen on his application for the DMPS superintendent position.

According to federal court documents filed on Tuesday, Roberts pleaded not guilty to both charges.

After his arrest, Roberts was placed on paid administrative leave then unpaid leave, before he submitted his resignation from the superintendent position, which was accepted by the DMPS School Board during a special session.

In the weeks following Roberts’ arrest, the district has faced scrutiny over the hiring of Roberts and in response has filed a lawsuit against the consulting firm the district hired, JG Consulting, for the superintendent search that ultimately resulted in Roberts’ being named superintendent in 2023. A school district in Pennsylvania where Roberts served as superintendent before coming to Des Moines has also voted to pursue legal action against the consulting firm they used for their search and Roberts.