DES Moines, Iowa (KGAN) — Former Des Moines Public Schools superintendent Ian Roberts is set to plead guilty to multiple federal charges.

Roberts, who had led Iowa’s largest school district since 2023, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Sept. 26, 2025.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that Roberts was in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash and a fixed-blade hunting knife.

He resigned from his role as superintendent just days later.

Roberts originally came to the United States on a student visa in 1999. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to a weapons charge in Pennsylvania, leading to a federal order for his removal from the country in 2024.

According to a plea agreement filed on Wednesday, Roberts will plead guilty to making a false statement for employment and to being "an illegal alien in possession of a firearm."

The false statement charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of supervised release. The firearm possession charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of supervised release. The sentences can also be ordered to be served consecutively, for a total of 20 years in prison.

A federal judge will determine the sentences.

Roberts will remain in custody while he waits for sentencing.