Guyana Born Schools Superintendent Sentenced To Two Years In Jail

By Staff Reporter | NewsAmericasNow.com

News Americas, DES MOINES, Iowa, Fri. May 29, 2026: A Guyana born schools superintendent who rose to lead two major US public school systems over three decades, was sentenced on Friday to two years in jail on federal fraud, immigration, and firearms charges. He will be deported back to Guyana after serving his jail time. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger sentenced Roberts below the federal guideline range. Prosecutors had sought a little more than three years.

Ian Andre Roberts, who served as superintendent of the Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa and previously held the same role at the Millcreek Township School District in Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to the federal charges. Roberts will receive credit for about eight months already served in custody since his arrest. He will serve out the rest of the time in a federal prison and then be turned over to immigration authorities for deportation.

Two Sides Of The Argument

Roberts’ lawyers had argued for deportation and painted a picture of a man who overcame poverty in Guyana, built an extraordinary career in American public education, and made mistakes related to his immigration status that he now deeply regrets.

The defense’s sentencing filing detailed Roberts’ poverty-stricken upbringing in Guyana and claimed he came to the United States after his law enforcement work in Guyana put his life at risk. It includes 50 letters of support from community members, educators, and officials requesting leniency – and argues that the loss of his career, his reputation, and his imminent deportation back to Guyana constitute sufficient punishment without adding prison time.

Federal prosecutors saw it differently. In a sentencing memo accidentally released earlier this week, prosecutors recommended a 37-month prison sentence – arguing that Roberts demonstrated a “longstanding and deliberate” pattern of lying to employers and illegally possessing firearms. Authorities allege Roberts falsely claimed US citizenship when hired by the Des Moines Public Schools and illegally possessed four firearms while lacking lawful immigration status.

Three Decades In America

Roberts first arrived in the United States from Guyana in the mid-1990s on an F-1 student visa – a young man pursuing higher education and the American dream. Over the following three decades, he built a career that took him to the top of public education in two US states.

He was appointed superintendent of the Des Moines Public Schools in July 2023, following three years in the same role at the Millcreek Township School District in Pennsylvania. His tenure in Des Moines came to an abrupt halt on September 26, 2025, when Iowa State Police arrested him and transferred him to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

According to ICE, Roberts entered the United States from Guyana in 1999 on a student visa but later lost legal authorization to work. A final order of removal was issued by an immigration court in May 2024 – months before his arrest. He has been held in US Marshals custody at the Polk County Jail in Iowa since his arrest.

A Tangled Immigration Trail

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Roberts cycled through two visas, four Green Card applications, and multiple employment authorization filings over thirty years — a bureaucratic trail that illustrates how easily the line between legal and undocumented status can blur for long-term residents navigating America’s complex immigration system.

He first arrived on a B-2 tourist visa in 1994, returned on an F-1 student visa in 1999, and began applying for work permits and permanent residency in the early 2000s. Each petition was eventually denied – yet temporary approvals along the way provided him with valid Social Security and employment documents that allowed him to continue working and advancing professionally.

By 2024 an immigration judge had ordered him removed in absentia. An immigration judge in Dallas denied Roberts’ motion to reopen his case earlier this year. Still, he remained in public service until ICE agents arrested him in September 2025.

Questions Of Oversight

The case has drawn attention not only because of the criminal charges but because Roberts rose to the highest level of public school administration in two US states while allegedly lacking legal immigration status – raising serious questions about hiring oversight, credential verification, and institutional safeguards.

School boards in both Iowa and Pennsylvania have faced scrutiny over how Roberts’ background and eligibility were vetted. The Millcreek School Board in Pennsylvania has publicly acknowledged reviewing potential legal action related to the matter.

What The Caribbean Diaspora Is Watching

For Caribbean and Guyanese diaspora communities across the United States – many of whom have followed this case closely since Roberts’ arrest – Friday’s sentencing carried significance beyond one man’s fate.

Roberts’ case has sparked debate about immigration enforcement, professional licensing, and how long-term Caribbean residents who have built careers and contributed to their communities can still face sudden detention and removal. Advocates note that his situation highlights the precarious position of non-citizens – even those who have reached the highest levels of public service – as immigration enforcement increasingly intersects with criminal proceedings.