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 in Des Moines, Iowa, 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.

Roberts’ sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 29. The two counts together carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

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, Missouri-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 AP’s investigation found a history of districts where Roberts held leadership positions, awarding contracts to Lively Paradox. The firm’s founder, Nicole Price, and Roberts met in a chance encounter at an airport a decade ago.

Records obtained by the AP in public information requests show Roberts had repeatedly recommended Price and introduced her to colleagues who oversaw professional development. There were several occasions over the decade when Roberts acknowledged potential concern with district colleagues.

Aspire Public Schools, where Roberts served as an administrator, paid Price the most, totaling about $46,000 for services and expenses between December 2018 and December 2019.

The invoices sent to Millcreek Township School District, where Roberts served as superintendent for three years before he was hired in Des Moines in 2023, were more limited, totaling just over $1,700 for expenses only.

Records indicate Lively Paradox had quoted the district a much higher expense — $10,000 — for one training, but they ultimately agreed Price would work pro bono.

Roberts said in an email that he would use “some of my co-author and co-presenter chips” to convince Price to provide the training for free, even though he said there was no conflict of interest.

“I have been thinking about ways to make this case to her in light of the optics of her contracting with the district for a financial benefit, given the fact that we have partnered in the past,” Roberts wrote on April 20, 2021.

The records also show Roberts was regularly communicating with Price about their consulting jobs from his district email accounts.

The audit of Des Moines’ finances 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.

“While these findings may be considered relatively minor given the size and scope of our school district’s operations,” Martorano said in a statement, “we are determined to continue doing everything possible to adhere to all regulations, especially any involving the use of taxpayer and public money.