Audit confirms conflict of interest of the former Iowa superintendent who was arrested by ICE

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s largest school district said Tuesday that it revised its conflict-of-interest policy after an audit found its former superintendent awarded district business to a consulting firm he worked for, affirming findings first reported by The Associated Press in the weeks after federal immigration officers detained him.

Ian Roberts, a native of Guyana in South America, worked for two decades as an educator and administrator in urban districts across the U.S. His Sept. 26 arrest shocked the community and drew national attention to his history of criminal charges and falsified credentials. He pleaded guilty in federal court in January, admitting to falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen on a federal form and illegally possessing firearms.

Des Moines Public Schools requested a reaudit of its finances in October after the AP reported that Roberts had intended to ask the school board for a contract with Kansas City-based Lively Paradox, a firm that marketed Roberts as a consultant and speaker. District finance officials warned Roberts against it because they had discovered the conflict of interest. Still, months later, the district paid Lively Paradox $6,476 in consulting and travel expenses for one-off work that Roberts could sign off on without board approval.

The state audit released Tuesday confirmed the findings, noting that the district’s chief financial officer said he “did not think Dr. Roberts would propose using Lively Paradox again after being declined the first time,” the report said. District representatives told investigators that the CFO was out of the country when another finance official signed the contract, unaware of the conflict.

The district also didn’t have a conflict-of-interest disclosure policy in place at the time, only requiring training. Now administrators will also be required to disclose annually any “actual or potential conflicts,” according to a statement from Kim Martorano, chair of the Des Moines School Board.

The audit also found that Roberts used district funds for more than $2,000 in donations. The district told investigators that it had requested legal advice and subsequently revised its policies after Roberts’ payments of $1,200 for two tables at an Iowa Juneteenth event and $600 for eight tables at a Habitat for Humanity luncheon, both in June 2024. Two other similar donations were made to Des Moines and Urbandale business and chamber associations.

Martorano emphasized Tuesday that those expenses were prohibited and the district would reinforce that policy with additional training.

Roberts changed his plea in January as part of an agreement with prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. Prosecutors agreed not to pursue additional charges against Roberts or others related to these counts, according to the filing. They also agreed to recommend some leniency, but Roberts’ sentence is ultimately up to U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger. That hearing is scheduled for May 29. The two counts together carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Alfredo Parrish, one of Roberts’ attorneys, told reporters after his client pleaded guilty that Roberts had “wanted to accept responsibility and that’s what he did.”