DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district is expected to plead guilty in federal court Thursday to two charges, including falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen, which could result in a lengthy prison sentence and increase the risk of deportation.
Ian Roberts, a native of Guyana in South America and a former Olympic runner, ascended as an exuberant and inspiring leader over a two-decade career in urban education. For two years, he was superintendent of the Des Moines public school district, which serves 30,000 students.
Just weeks into a new school year, Roberts was detained by federal immigration officers. The Sept. 26 arrest stunned community members and drew national attention to his history of criminal charges and falsified credentials.
Roberts in October initially pleaded not guilty to one count of making a false statement for employment and one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm while being in the country illegally. Together, the charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Roberts is expected to plead guilty to both charges, according to a plea agreement he signed Wednesday.
The plea agreement also indicates that Roberts is aware he could face deportation after he serves his sentence.
In a targeted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation, Roberts was pulled over in his school-issued Jeep Cherokee and allegedly fled from federal agents. They later found the car abandoned near a wooded area and located Roberts with the help of state troopers. Authorities said a loaded handgun was wrapped in a towel under the seat and there was $3,000 in cash in the car.
A federal grand jury in October returned a two-count indictment. According to the plea agreement, Roberts admits he knowingly and intentionally made a “false attestation” on the Employment Eligibility Verification form, known as an I-9, that he submitted in Des Moines, claiming he was a U.S. citizen even though he was not. That carries a punishment of up to five years in prison and a fine.
Roberts completed the I-9 form when he was hired in 2023 and submitted a Social Security card and driver’s license as verifying documents, according to the district. He also stated he was a U.S. citizen in his application to the state board of educational examiners, which issued Roberts a professional administrator license in 2023.
Roberts was subject to a notice to appear before an immigration judge in October 2020, just months before his work authorization was set to expire, and a final removal order in 2024, authorities said. District officials said they were not aware of the immigration issues.
Alfredo Parrish, one of Roberts’ attorneys, has said his client was under the impression from a prior attorney that his immigration case was “resolved successfully.”
Parrish declined to comment Wednesday.
Phil Roeder, a spokesperson for Des Moines Public Schools, declined to comment on Roberts' legal proceedings. The district's focus “remains on serving the educational needs of students," he said in a statement.
Roberts also faces a federal weapons charge, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine. The indictment describes two pistols, a rifle and a shotgun found in Roberts’ possession. In addition to the one in his vehicle when he was arrested, three firearms were found during a search of Roberts’ home, authorities said.
Roberts will agree to forfeit the weapons, according to the agreement.
As part of Roberts’ plea agreement, prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa agreed to not pursue additional charges against Roberts or others related to these counts. Prosecutors also agreed to recommend some leniency but Roberts' sentence is ultimately up to the judge.
A trial had been scheduled to begin in early March.
FILE - This photo provided by WOI Local 5 News in September 2025 shows Des Moines schools Superintendent Ian Roberts. (WOI Local 5 News via AP, File)
ATLANTA (AP) — Bread was flying off the shelves, salt was being loaded into trucks and utility workers were nervously watching forecasts Thursday as a huge winter storm that could bring catastrophic damage, widespread power outages and bitterly cold weather was barreling toward the eastern two-thirds of the U.S.
The massive storm system is expected to bring a crippling ice storm from Texas through parts of the South, potentially around a foot (30 centimeters) of snow from Oklahoma through Washington, D.C.; New York and Boston and then a final punch of bitterly cold air that could drop wind chills to mius-50 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-46 Celsius) in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota.
Forecasters are warning the damage, especially in areas that get a large amount of ice, could rival a hurricane. About 140 million people were under winter storm or cold weather watches or warnings — and in many places both.
The storm was expected to begin Friday in New Mexico and Texas and then the worst of the weather will move east into the Deep South before heading up the coast and thumping New England with snow.
Cold air streaming down from Canada caused Chicago Public Schools to cancel classes Friday. Wind chills predicted to be as low as minus-35 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-37 Celsius) could cause frostbite within 10 minutes making it too dangerous to walk to school or wait for the bus.
The cold punch coming after means it will take a while to thaw out, an especially dangerous prospect in places where ice and snow weighs down tree branches and powerlines and cuts electricity, perhaps for days. Roads and sidewalks could remain icy well into next week.
Freezing temperatures are expected all the way to Florida and lows in the North and Midwest will get about as cold as possible, even down to minus 25 or 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 32 to minus 34 degrees Celsius), forecasters said.
A severe cold snap five years ago took down much of the power grid in Texas, leaving millions without power for days and resulting in hundreds of deaths. Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday that won't happen again.
The power system "has never been stronger, never been more prepared and is fully capable of handling this winter storm,” he said. “There is no expectation whatsoever that there is going to be any loss of power from the power grid.”
Winter storms can be notoriously tricky to forecast — one or two degrees can mean the difference between a catastrophe or a cold rain — and forecasters said the places with the worst weather can't be pinned down until the event starts.
Georgia Gov Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency in his state like many other governors while acknowledging Thursday morning some forecasts have disastrous levels of wintery weather in Atlanta while others have the Deep South's largest city mostly spared.
“That line could move north or south depending on what the temperatures do and what that could throw at us,” Kemp said.
All 275 of ice-melting salt sold out at Bates Ace Hardware in Atlanta in one morning, manager Lewis Pane said. He has made special trips to the warehouse to restock but it's selling out everywhere.
Wendy Chambers stopped by the store to pick up batteries and flashlights in case there is a power outage.
“We’re gonna be prepared, aren’t we? We’re going to be able to read, do things, play games,” she said before heading to church choir with her granddaughter.
Brine trucks were already treating roads from Oklahoma to Tennessee with more states expected to begin treating roads as the start of the storm gets closer.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger told her residents to prepare for days without power or the ability to get out of their neighborhoods. And in a nod to the politics of the time, the newly inaugurated Democrat said people should not be scared to call 911 in an emergency just because of the immigration crackdowns going on in places like Minnesota.
“If someone needs to call police, having a health emergency needs to call first responders, please do so and ensure the safety of your friends, neighbors and family. And, stay warm," Spanberger said.
College sports teams moved up or postponed games, and the Texas Rangers canceled their annual Fan Fest event.
The city of Carmel, Indiana, canceled its Winter Games out of fear residents could get frostbite and hypothermia competing in ice trike relay and “human curling” in which people slide down a skating rink on inner tubes.
But in Charleston, West Virginia, organizers said the annual West Virginia Hunting and Fishing Show will go on after more than 150 exhibitors signed up for the sold-out event that is expected to draw about 12,000 people Friday through Sunday.
The forecast calls for rain, freezing rain and snow, but with outfitters coming from all over the U.S. as well as Canada and South Africa, the show must go on, said Glen Jarrell, a spokesperson for the West Virginia Trophy Hunters Association, the event’s promoter.
“We’re not thinking about stopping. We don’t care if it’s rain, snow or high water," Jarrell said.
Murphy reported from Oklahoma City and Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press writers around the country contributed to this report.
Ice forms on a pier along Lake Michigan ona. cold Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
A loaf of bread sits on empty shelves in the bread isle in grocery store ahead of winter weather, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Marietta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A digital billboard along Highway 75 warns of road preparations for upcoming inclement weather expected in the region Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
A shopper buys groceries Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn., ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the state over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
