The search firm behind Ian Roberts’ selection recruits top school leaders across the country

The executive search firm that helped Iowa’s largest public school district hire Ian Roberts, an illegal immigrant, has helped school districts across the country hire hundreds of superintendents and other educational leaders.

One-Fourth Consulting, which operates under its JG Consulting brand, was sued last week in Iowa District Court for Polk County by the Des Moines Independent Community School District (DMICSD) for its role in hiring Roberts, who was recently arrested on immigration and weapons charges. The district is suing the executive search firm for breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation, general negligence and is also seeking damages.

When reached for comment on the lawsuit, the executive search firm’s legal counsel pointed out that JG Consulting, in its decade of helping schools find new leaders, has placed more than 65 new superintendents and more than 200 other education leaders in school districts across the United States.

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Former Des Moines Public Schools District Superintendent Ian Roberts (R) was arrested last month after fleeing from federal immigration agents, who then found an illegal handgun in his car. (Des Moines Independent Community School District; Polk County Sheriff)

“In our more than a decade of experience doing this important work, we have worked with schools to complete more than 65 principal searches as well as more than 200 other individuals in leadership positions,” Josh Romero, general counsel for JG Consulting, told Fox News Digital. “At JG Consulting, we pride ourselves on our extensive experience successfully supporting school districts across the country in identifying candidates for school superintendent and related leadership roles. Educating our young people is a huge responsibility and we take the role we play in this process very seriously.

In addition to JG Consulting’s work with DMICSD, the executive search firm has also helped lead sourcing efforts for several others school districts across the country, including in Texas, Virginia and other Iowa districts, according to a Fox News digital analysis of public records.

One of those districts, the Eanes Westlake Innovative School District, which is currently using JG Consulting to find a new superintendent, released a statement following news of Roberts’ arrest to assure members of its community that it was committed to “high standards” in its search for a new district leader.

“While we are aware of the allegations in Iowa, the board believes JG Consulting is conducting a thorough and comprehensive search for Eanes ISD’s next superintendent,” said district board president Kim McMath. “As we move forward, the Board will request that JG Consulting provide detailed background information on all successful candidates for consideration. We are steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that this process meets the highest standards.”

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Roberts is currently facing federal charges and is in the custody of the US Marshals Service in the Polk County Jail, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) statement last week. DHS said in its statement that Roberts’ “criminal and immigration history reveals a long history of criminal conduct in the United States,” which the agency said proves “he should never have held a role supervising children in Iowa’s largest school district.”

Former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts has a long criminal history, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday. (Getty Images; ICE)

An immigrant from Guyana, DHS said Roberts first entered the country “classified as a pleasure visitor” in 1994. The agency said he left on an unknown date but returned before being arrested on drug charges in 1996. Roberts then re-entered the United States on a student visa in 1999 and never left again.

Subsequently, Roberts filed for work authorization three times, in 2000, 2018 and 2019, each of which was granted and lasted for one year. Roberts did not have valid work authorization at the time of his employment with the Des Moines School District.

During his time in the United States, which preceded last month’s arrest in which Roberts fled, the former superintendent had previously been convicted of reckless driving, reckless driving and speeding in Maryland in 2012, Homeland Security said. The agency also said Roberts was convicted in Pennsylvania of illegal possession of a loaded firearm in 2022.

Authorities said a handgun was found in a vehicle used by Ian Roberts to flee from ICE agents as they tried to arrest him last month. (ICE)

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In addition to these charges, Roberts also has charges of criminal possession of narcotics with intent to sell, criminal possession of narcotics, criminal possession of a forged instrument and possession of a forged instrument from New York dating back to 1996 and charges of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fourth-degree weapons charges from 2020.

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, its civil division also served Roberts with a sealed restraining order from Jackson County, Missouri, in August 2023. It is unclear what prompted the restraining order since it was sealed.

Meanwhile, there has also been confusion over the degrees Roberts claimed to have earned on his LinkedIn page. Among several schools listed on his profile, Roberts claimed to have attended Morgan State University from 2003 to 2007 and to have been a “new MBA candidate” at the MIT Sloane School of Management. Morgan State University has confirmed its participation. However, he indicated that he “did not receive a diploma.” The MIT Registrar’s Office said it “has no record of enrolling anyone with the name Ian Andre Roberts, and similarly, there is no record of enrolling in the MIT Executive MBA program at the MIT Sloan School of Management.”

Despite these charges and his illegal status, Roberts held several high-ranking positions in public education in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, California, Pennsylvania, and Iowa.

Peter Pinedo of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.