According to DHS, Roberts’ criminal and immigration history “exposes a long record of offenses in the United States,” which the agency said makes it “unfathomable that he was ever allowed to oversee children in Iowa’s largest school district.”

Roberts is currently being held in the Polk County Jail under the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Federal officials say he now faces new charges related to illegal possession of firearms. A search of his home reportedly uncovered three weapons: a loaded 9mm pistol hidden under a living room cushion, a loaded rifle in his master bedroom closet, and a shotgun concealed behind his bed’s headboard.

His criminal record spans multiple states and decades. DHS records show that Roberts was convicted in Maryland in 2012 for reckless driving, unsafe operation, and speeding. In 2022, he was convicted in Pennsylvania for the unlawful possession of a loaded firearm.

Even earlier, in New York, Roberts faced multiple drug and forgery-related charges dating back to 1996, including criminal possession of narcotics with intent to sell and possession of forged instruments. In 2020, he was again charged with several degrees of weapons possession offenses.

Adding to his legal troubles, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Roberts was served a sealed restraining order from Jackson County, Missouri, in August 2023. The contents of that order remain confidential, and authorities have not disclosed what led to its issuance.

DHS officials also said that Roberts was discovered to have been illegally registered to vote in Maryland as a Democrat — a revelation that is now raising significant concerns about weaknesses in the state’s voter verification system.

Despite his record and immigration status, Roberts managed to hold several prominent positions in the field of education over the years. His résumé includes senior roles in school systems across Baltimore, Washington D.C., St. Louis, California, Pennsylvania, and most recently, Iowa.

Roberts took over as superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools in 2023 but resigned after his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Initially placed on paid leave, the school board later shifted his status to unpaid leave before formally accepting his resignation.

Questions are also mounting about Roberts’ academic credentials. On his LinkedIn page, he claimed to have earned degrees from multiple institutions, including Morgan State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). However, Morgan State confirmed that while Roberts attended the university between 2003 and 2007, he did not graduate. Meanwhile, MIT’s registrar stated that it found no record of enrollment for anyone by his name in either its main programs or the Executive MBA track at the Sloan School of Management.

As DHS continues its investigation, the case has sparked outrage among parents and lawmakers, many of whom are demanding answers on how an undocumented individual with such a long criminal history was able to rise to the top of a major American school district.