Iowa’s largest school district has filed a lawsuit against the firm it paid to find its top leader, accusing the company of failing to properly screen former superintendent Ian Roberts, who was detained by immigration authorities last week.
Des Moines Public Schools said in its complaint that JG Consulting, the Texas-based firm it hired in 2022 to lead the superintendent search, breached its contract and acted negligently in recommending Roberts. The district hired him the following year based on the firm’s shortlist of finalists.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Roberts, a native of Guyana, was living in the United States unlawfully and lacked authorization to work. Federal prosecutors later charged him with possessing four firearms while in the country illegally, including one wrapped in a towel inside his Jeep Cherokee when agents stopped him, according to court filings.
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“The firm failed its duty to properly vet candidates. Ian Roberts should have never been presented as a finalist,” said school board chair Jackie Norris. “If we knew what we knew now, he would never have been hired.” She said the district’s goal is to recover taxpayer funds and repair its reputation.
Roberts’ arrest, following his attempt to flee a traffic stop, has shaken the Des Moines community and led to student walkouts and tense public meetings. The school board has described itself as “a victim of deception” throughout his tenure, while residents have sought answers from his legal team about how the situation unfolded.
Roberts resigned this week after the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked his license. He remains in federal custody. Immigration authorities said he had been ordered removed from the U.S. last year, and an immigration judge denied his request to reopen the case in April.
Roberts’ attorney, Alfredo Parrish, said his client believed a previous lawyer had already resolved his immigration issues “successfully.”
According to the district, Roberts signed documents during his hiring process certifying that he was a U.S. citizen, submitting both a Social Security card and driver’s license for verification. Officials said they had no knowledge of the 2024 removal order.
ICE also revealed that Roberts had a prior weapons offense from 2020. Pennsylvania court records show he pleaded guilty in 2022 to a minor firearm infraction after being stopped by a game officer in Erie County. He paid a $100 fine.
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Roberts later said he was a licensed hunter who kept his rifle in view so officers would not feel threatened and that he accepted the plea to avoid distractions. The district said it had reviewed that incident during the hiring process and considered it resolved.
Under the terms of the contract, JG Consulting was responsible for conducting background checks, verifying credentials, reviewing resumes, and presenting qualified candidates. The Des Moines district serves about 30,000 students and employs nearly 5,000 staff.
However, public records and internal documents obtained by The Associated Press revealed that Roberts falsely claimed to have earned a doctorate in urban educational leadership from Morgan State University in 2007. While he was enrolled there between 2002 and 2007, the university confirmed he never completed the degree. He later received a doctorate from Trident University International in 2021.
A background report commissioned during the hiring process identified the discrepancy, but the school board said the final resume it reviewed was revised to reflect that Roberts “had not completed his dissertation.” The consulting firm, the board said, was obligated to flag all inconsistencies directly to them but failed to do so.
“This is about accountability,” Norris said.
However, JG Consulting’s attorney, Josh Romero, defended the firm’s vetting process on Friday, saying that Ian Roberts had submitted all the documentation required for his employment.
“The district had all relevant information since the beginning,” Romero said in a statement, adding that Roberts’ professional record reflected “high-quality leadership and accomplishments” in Des Moines and previous roles across several states. “Any discrepancy regarding his immigration status was not discovered in any prior placements, by any other consulting firm or any other board.”
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