Maryland Removes Former Resident From Voter Rolls After Federal Prison Sentence for Illegal Firearm Possession

Maryland removed Ian Andre Roberts from its voter rolls on June 2, six days after a federal court sentenced him to two years in prison for lying about his citizenship and for being an illegal immigrant in possession of guns. The Maryland State Board of Elections updated its voter file to include the federal judgment. The Washington Times obtained the records through an open-records request.

Roberts, an illegal immigrant from Guyana, had remained on the rolls for months after his arrest last September in Iowa and his guilty plea in January. The board had earlier refused to confirm that the Ian Andre Roberts listed in Maryland was the same individual. State Delegate Matt Morgan, a St.

Mary’s County Republican and founding member of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, said Roberts had moved out of Maryland a decade ago yet the state continued to send him absentee ballots. “It practically took an act of God to get him removed from the rolls,” Morgan said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers approached him in a Des Moines-issued vehicle. He fled on foot. Officers recovered a loaded gun from the vehicle and additional guns from his residence. The Board of Elections did not respond to a request for comment.

Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis had previously warned against “improper cancellation,” citing concerns about removing eligible voters.