Overview

• Ian Roberts, 54, resigned as Des Moines Public Schools superintendent and was taken into Department of Justice custody after prosecutors charged him with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms.
• A DOJ release said Roberts made an initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge in the Southern District of Iowa, following his transfer from ICE detention on a federal warrant.
• Court filings say investigators recovered four firearms tied to Roberts, including a loaded Glock 19 wrapped in a towel under the driver’s seat of a district vehicle and three additional guns at his home; an ATF trace linked the Glock’s 2019 purchase to a woman believed to be his wife.
• ICE and court records state Roberts had a final order of removal issued in May 2024 and no current work authorization; the complaint says he fled a traffic stop before being found hiding and taken into custody.
• DHS publicly detailed prior drug and weapons-related cases involving Roberts, the district said it will sue its search firm JG Consulting over vetting failures, and the DOJ Civil Rights Division opened a separate probe into the district’s hiring practices.