By Kenneth R. Strange Jr. 

Frank Abagnale

Frank Abagnale, professional impostor and author of the book Catch Me If You Can, which would go on to become a blockbuster Hollywood movie starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio, is very much alive and well.

Abagnale spent years as a con artist pretending to be, among other things, a pilot for the airlines, a hospital physician and even an assistant state attorney for the state of Louisiana.

Dr. Ian Andre Roberts

In Abagnale’s place we are introduced to Dr. Ian Andre Roberts, who rose to become a highly paid ($270K per year) Superintendent of the Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa overseeing 30,000 students. 

Give Dr. Roberts credit.  As an illegal migrant from Guyana, he would have been adept at survival–quick thinking, manipulative and with a high degree of charisma.  He would be skilled at sizing up those in authority and playing on their weaknesses.  Over time Roberts perfected his art. His migrant roots, easy charm and the cloak of DEI would combine to offer the perfect cover.  

One Step Ahead

However, like Abagnale, Dr. Roberts would always be on the move, trying to stay one step ahead, looking over his shoulder and distancing himself from the reality of his criminal past.  The Des Moines Superintendent was cunning enough to carry a concealed loaded Glock 9mm pistol, a hunting knife and $3000 in cash just in case his luck ran out.

Trump, Homan & ICE

What the newly minted Superintendent couldn’t see coming, however, was the election of President Donald Trump in 2024. With the signing of an executive order to close the U.S. border and investigate criminal illegal migrants, Dr. Roberts’ days were numbered.  The Guyana native just happened to have an extensive record which included non-legal status in the United States for years without a  work authorization, drug possession and intent to sell in 1996 as well as weapons charges in 2020 and 2022.  One of the weapons charges was for unlawfully possessing a loaded hunting rifle in a school district vehicle. Like Tom Hanks and Abagnale, Tom Homan and ICE would soon be on the Superintendent’s trail.

Because the money was good

During my federal investigative career, I was assigned an allegation of academic credential fraud.  A whistle-blower insisted a fellow auditor claiming to have an MBA degree and enrolled in a doctoral program at an elite American university was a phony.  When the investigative smoke cleared it was discovered the auditor’s diplomas were indeed bogus.  In fact, the highly paid, globe trotting employee had never even graduated high school!  In answering the ‘Why?’ the auditor confided, “ Because the money was good and I could travel around the world like all of you.” Ironically, the ersatz auditor had worked several years for the government and was involved in some high-profile cases.

A flurry of lawsuits

What tends to be overlooked in this particular fraud is my auditor had pilfered the opportunity for a real, properly credentialed auditor to be working with our team. The same would hold true with Dr. Roberts.  How many talented candidates with authentic diplomas and experience had been passed over and rejected in the search for Superintendent of the Des Moines Public Schools.  Expect a flurry of lawsuits in this case.

If there was any doubt about the Superintendent’s culpability it vanished when the good Doctor sped away from immigration officials in his vehicle, before ditching it. Immigration agents then chased him on foot and eventually found Roberts hiding in the brush.

Search Firms

In the post-mortem, blame will be heaped not only on school officials and others who were easily duped by Roberts’ title, bogus diplomas and falsified resume but on J.G. Consulting, the search firm and vetting agency which was selected to find and hire someone like Dr. Roberts.  It is J.G. Consulting which would have reviewed Dr. Roberts’ Resume, application, diplomas and criminal history. The Des Moines Public School Board would do well to remember “Trust but verify!”  One of the questions now being raised is how Dr. Roberts was hired and licensed not only in Iowa but in other states. 

The Last Laugh

But not to worry, Roberts may still have the last laugh. When Frank Abagnale’s luck ran out, he was arrested, convicted and sentenced to ten years of prison of which he only served two. 

If Dr. Roberts, excuse me…Mr. Roberts plays his cards right, he is young enough, smart enough and ingratiating enough to bounce back, maybe even write a book and start his own podcast.  Like Abagnale, he could not only become a consultant in his own movie but make a cameo appearance. Anything is possible in America. 

Kenneth R. Strange Jr. is the author of the award winning true crime memoir “A Cop’s Son: One G-Man’s Fight Against Jihad, Global Fraud and the Cartels“