THE FORMER SUPERINTENDENT OF IOWA’S LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS PLEADED GUILTY TO TWO COUNTS IN FEDERAL COURT.
IAN ROBERTS WAS ARRESTED BY ICE FOLLOWING A CHASE IN DES MOINES IN SEPTEMBER ON FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AND WEAPONS CHARGES.
ACCORDING TO THE AGREEMENT, PLEADING GUILTY COULD JEOPARDIZE ROBERTS’ ABILITY TO CHALLENGE REMOVAL ORDERS.
ALFREDO PARRISH, WHO IS ROBERTS’ ATTORNEY, SAYS HIS CLIENT COULD ALSO BE SUBJECT TO “IMMEDIATE REMOVAL” AFTER SERVING HIS PRISON SENTENCE.
DMPLEA1 OC……. “FOR HIS CONDUCT” :11
PARRISH SAYS HE REVIEWED ALL POSSIBLE DEFENSES WITH ROBERTS, INCLUDING CLAIMING HIS POSSESSION OF FIREARMS WAS FOR SELF-DEFENSE.
HE SAYS ROBERTS RECEIVED THREATS WHILE HE WAS DES MOINES’ SUPERINTENDENT.
ROBERTS WAS INITIALLY CHARGED WITH BEING IN THE COUNTRY WITHOUT LEGAL STATUS, AND WAS LATER CHARGED WITH MAKING A FALSE STATEMENT FOR EMPLOYMENT AND POSSESSING FIREARMS WHILE NOT HAVING LEGAL STATUS.
ROBERTS PLEADED GUILTY TO FALSELY CLAIMING HE WAS A CITIZEN ON AN EMPLOYMENT FORM WHEN HE WAS HIRED BY DES MOINES SCHOOLS.
PARRISH SAYS HE ALSO PLEADED GUILTY TO THE FIREARMS CHARGE.
DMPLEA2 OC……..”HIS SENTENCING” :16
ANOTHER JUDGE WILL DECIDE WHETHER TO ACCEPT ROBERTS’ GUILTY PLEA AND WHAT HIS SENTENCE WILL BE.
ROBERTS SENTENCING DATE IS SET FOR MAY 29TH.
UNDER THE DEAL, THE GOVERNMENT WON’T PURSUE ADDITIONAL FEDERAL CHARGES AGAINST HIM IN THE SAME FEDERAL COURT RELATED TO HIS FALSE STATEMENT AND FIREARMS POSSESSION.
RADIO IOWA
