DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa’s largest school district said they filed a lawsuit Friday against the consulting company it hired to identify superintendent candidates, alleging it did not properly vet Ian Roberts, who was arrested by immigration authorities last week.

Des Moines Public Schools hired JG Consulting in 2022 to facilitate the leadership search, which led to the hiring of Roberts the following year.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements officials have said Roberts, who spent years working with Baltimore City Public Schools, was in the U.S. illegally and had no work authorization. Federal prosecutors charged Roberts on Thursday with possessing four firearms while in the U.S. illegally, including one that authorities said was wrapped in a towel inside the Jeep Cherokee he was driving when agents pulled him over, according to court filings.

The district’s complaint accused the search firm of breach of contract and negligence, and school board chair Jackie Norris said the focus is on recouping taxpayer dollars and addressing reputational damage.

“The firm failed its duty to properly vet candidates. Ian Roberts should have never been presented as a finalist,” Norris said. “If we knew what we knew now, he would never have been hired.”

James Guerra, president and CEO of Texas-based JG Consulting, did not immediately respond to phone calls or messages seeking comment Friday. A phone call to JG Consulting’s customer service line went unanswered.

The arrest of Roberts after he ran from a traffic stop has shocked and confused the community. Students have walked out of their classrooms in protest. Community members have gathered to pose questions to Roberts’ lawyers, trying to reconcile the vibrant man who engaged with students and staff with the man at the center of a scandal that has grabbed national attention. The Des Moines school board has said it was “a victim of deception” throughout his tenure.

Roberts, who is in federal custody in Des Moines, resigned as superintendent this week after a state education board revoked his license.

Federal authorities said Roberts had a final removal order that was issued last year, and an immigration judge denied a motion to reopen Roberts’ immigration case this April. Roberts’ attorney, Alfredo Parrish, has said Roberts was under the impression from a prior attorney that his immigration case was “resolved successfully.”

The contract between the district and JG Consulting, which has long been available on the district’s website, said the company was responsible for advertising, recruitment, application and resume review, public domain search and complete reference checks, as well as the presentation of qualified candidates.

Roberts has two decades of experience in education and used a doctorate title well before earning a doctoral degree from Trident University International in 2021.

Roberts ties to Maryland go back to his colleges years.

Coppin State University’s website features an alumni profile of Roberts, who graduated from the school in Baltimore in 1998. In it, Roberts talks about majoring in criminology but turning towards education, “I believe that I was divinely guided to this career, to educate, inspire, motivate and serve as a champion for children, particularly children who are marginalized by our K-12 education system.”

Prior to Roberts’ tenure as superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, he spent over nine years with Baltimore City Public Schools. He began in 2001 as a teacher, followed by working in special education, and later became a middle and high school principal from 2007-2010. From there he became the managing director of school improvement initiatives for District of Columbia Public Schools, while continuing work in Baltimore as a mentor for other principals.

Roberts falsely claimed on a resume he submitted with his application that he earned a doctorate in urban educational leadership from Morgan State University in 2007, according to documents The Associated Press obtained through a public records request.

Although Roberts was enrolled in that doctorate program from 2002 to 2007, the school’s public relations office confirmed in an email that he didn’t receive that degree. A background check during the hiring process said the same, flagging the discrepancy with the resume, according to the district.

The district said the full school board only saw a resume that was revised to indicate he had not completed his dissertation, which is necessary for the degree. But the board did have access to the background check alerting members to the initial variance.

The consulting company was required to bring all information, positive or negative, to the board’s attention but failed to do so, Norris said. “This is about accountability.”

Banner reporter Nori Leybengrub contributed to this report.