Sentencing hearing underway Friday for former DMPS superintendent Ian Roberts

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:02]AS SOON AS WE GET THEM.

[00:00:04]AND RIGHT NOW, FORMER DES MOINES PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT IAN ROBERTS IS IN A FEDERAL COURTROOM WAITING TO BE SENTENCED.

[00:00:12]HE WAS CONVICTED OF FEDERAL FRAUD, IMMIGRATION AND FIREARMS CHARGES.

[00:00:15]THE PROSECUTION IS ASKING ROBERTS BE SENTENCED TO THREE YEARS.

[00:00:19]ROBERTS TEAM IS ASKING FOR PROBATION.

[00:00:21]KCCI.

[00:00:22]OLIVIA TYLER JOINS US LIVE OUTSIDE THE FEDERAL COURTHOUSE THIS AFTERNOON IN DES MOINES.

[00:00:28]OLIVIA, YOU WERE IN THE COURTROOM AS THE HEARING BEGAN.

[00:00:31]WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED SO FAR?

[00:00:33]YEAH.

[00:00:34]GOOD AFTERNOON.

[00:00:35]JODI.

[00:00:35]WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THE DEFENSE IS ASKING FOR PROBATION BECAUSE THEY SAY THAT DEPORTATION IS ENOUGH OF A CRIME.

[00:00:43]IAN ROBERTS CAME IN IN HANDCUFFS AT AROUND 1050.

[00:00:46]SO JUST TEN MINUTES BEFORE THE SENTENCING WAS SET TO START.

[00:00:49]HIS HAIR’S GROWN OUT.

[00:00:50]HIS BEARD IS A LITTLE GRAY.

[00:00:52]HE EXAMINED THE ROOM, TAKE A.

[00:00:53]TOOK A LONG LOOK BEFORE EVENTUALLY SITTING DOWN.

[00:00:56]EVERYBODY WAS IN THE ROOM FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES IN SILENCE BEFORE IT STARTED.

[00:01:00]THE JUDGE ASKED ROBERTS A SERIES OF QUESTIONS, ONE BEING IF HE’S TAKING MEDICINE, ROBERTS SAYS HE’S TAKING TYLENOL FOR PAIN, AS DESCRIBED AS PRESCRIBED.

[00:01:09]THERE WAS ALSO A ROW OF FOLKS FOR ROBERTS IN SUPPORT OF HIM, INCLUDING SENATOR RENEE HARTMAN.

[00:01:15]SO NEITHER SIDE WANTED TO PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS.

[00:01:18]THAT GOES TO THE PROSECUTION OR THE DEFENSE.

[00:01:22]ALFREDO PARISH, ROBERT’S ATTORNEY, AND THE JUDGE WENT BACK AND FORTH FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES, MAYBE MORE.

[00:01:27]THAT’S THE CHUNK OF WHAT JUST HAPPENED IN THE LAST HOUR.

[00:01:31]THEY WERE GOING OVER WHAT THE JUDGE CALLS CONCERNS.

[00:01:34]THE JUDGE SAYS THERE WERE THREE LETTERS OUT OF THE 92 SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF ROBERTS, AND THREE OF THOSE SEEM TO BE LETTER LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION FOR A JOB.

[00:01:44]ONE OF THOSE LETTERS CAME FROM A FORMER EMPLOYER IN D.C.

[00:01:47]PARISH SAYS THE DOCUMENTS CAME IN AFTER ROBERTS WAS ARRESTED, BUT THEY SORT OF WENT BACK AND FORTH ON DECIDING WHETHER THOSE SHOULD BE SUBMITTED, ARE BROUGHT IN AS EVIDENCE OR USED FOR THE SENTENCING.

[00:01:59]ROBERTS PARISH EVENTUALLY TOLD THE JUDGE THAT IF THEY DON’T WANT TO USE THOSE THREE, THAT’S ALL RIGHT.

[00:02:05]THEY HAVE 89 OTHERS.

[00:02:07]THEY WERE JUST STARTING CLOSING ARGUMENTS AS I WAS LEAVING THE COURTROOM JUST ABOUT 15 MINUTES AGO, PARISH, HIS ATTORNEY, SAYS ROBERTS USUALLY WAKES UP AT AROUND 7 A.M.

[00:02:16]HE SAYS IN THE LAST WEEK, SOMEONE AT THE JAIL, THE LAST TIME HE WENT TO VISIT, ROBERTS TOLD PARISH, HIS ATTORNEY, THAT ROBERTS SAYS, QUOTE, MADE LIFE EASIER FOR THE FOLKS IN THERE.

[00:02:27]AGAIN, A LOT OF WHAT’S HAPPENED IN THE LAST HOUR IS A LOT OF TECHNICAL STUFF.

[00:02:32]JUST FIGURING, FIGURING OUT HOW TO PROCEED FORWARD WITH THE EVIDENCE.

[00:02:35]AGAIN, THEY DON’T WANT TO SUBMIT EITHER SIDE ANY MORE DOCUMENTS.

[00:02:38]SO IT LOOKS LIKE THEY’RE GOING TO BE GOING AHEAD WITH WHAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED LEADING UP TILL TODAY.

[00:02:44]WE HAVE BEAU BOWMAN INSIDE THAT WILL BRING UPDATES AS THE CLOSING ARGUMENTS FINISH OUT LATER TODAY.

[00:02:49]BUT AS OF NOW, THAT’S ABOUT IT.

[00:02:51]LIVE IN DOWNTOWN DES MOINES.

[00:02:52]OLIVIA TAYLOR, KCCI EIGHT NEWS.

[00:02:53]IOWA’S NEWS LEADER.

[00:02:53]OLIVIA.

[00:02:54]THANK YOU.

[00:02:55]CAMERAS ARE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE FEDERAL COURT.

[00:02:57]SO THANK YOU FOR GIVING