Former head of Iowa's largest school district to be sentenced for claiming to be a US citizen

The former head of Iowa's largest school district faces prison time for falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and illegally possessing firearms. Ian Roberts, a Guyana-born administrator who led Des Moines Public Schools, pleaded guilty in January to two counts carrying a combined maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, with prosecutors seeking about 37 months behind bars. His lawyers have proposed probation to facilitate his removal from the United States, arguing his two-decade career in urban education warrants leniency while acknowledging the status issue. Des Moines Public Schools serves roughly 30,000 students and has since revised its conflict‑of‑interest policy after an audit found Roberts awarded district business to a consulting firm he also worked for.