Iowa superintendent detained by ICE falsely claimed he was a US citizen, indictment says

DES MOINES Iowa AP The former superintendent of Iowa s largest school district has been indicted by a federal grand jury after officers noted he falsely claimed to be a U S citizen who was eligible to work A two-count indictment returned Thursday evening by a federal grand jury in Des Moines charges Ian Roberts with one count of making a false announcement for employment and one count of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm Roberts who is originally from Guyana and worked for two decades in school districts across the country was detained Sept by U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in a targeted operation Administration reported Roberts fled from agents in his district-issued Jeep Cherokee before being identified in a wooded area Roberts had a handgun wrapped in a towel inside the car investigators disclosed Des Moines Constituents Schools hired Ian Roberts in to lead its district of about students The indictment alleges that he made a false attestation on a U S Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Eligibility Verification form known as an I- claiming he was a U S citizen when he knew he was not Roberts attorney Alfredo Parrish didn t straightaway return a phone message Federal administration reported an immigration judge issued a final removal order last year and an appeal to reopen immigration proceedings was rejected earlier this year After his detention by ICE Roberts was transferred to federal custody Oct on an arrest warrant and charged with unlawfully possessing firearms while being in the U S illegally In addition to the one in his car when he was arrested three other weapons were discovered during a search of Roberts home executives commented The indictment mentions all four weapons including two pistols a rifle and a shotgun The district continues to face the fallout filing a lawsuit against the consulting firm it used to facilitate the superintendent search in After an AP research identified a history of Roberts school districts hiring a firm that marketed him as a consultant Jackie Norris school board chair proposed a review of his expenditures in Des Moines Norris also ended her campaign for U S Senate on Thursday Foley stated from Iowa City Iowa Source