A 22-year-old Forest Lake man who attended classes at White Bear Area High School last month skirted around the enrollment process by claiming he was a homeless youth and by using a birth certificate from another country that indicated he was 18, the school district said Thursday.

White Bear Lake Area Schools Superintendent Wayne Kazmierczak said in an email to families that the man certified on district forms that he was a homeless unaccompanied youth, a  designation that requires school districts to follow the McKinney Vento Act. The federal law mandates the immediate enrollment of eligible students even if they cannot provide standard documentation such as academic records, immunization or proof of residency.

The birth certificate, which listed a fake name of Kelvin C. Perry Jr., included an authentic watermarking and official stamps/seals, Kazmierczak said, adding there “was no indication that the document was anything less than authentic.”

The man was enrolled in the district from Sept. 3 to 29, when he was arrested on warrants in connection with unrelated cases, including violating probation in a 2023 case in which he was convicted of gross-misdemeanor indecent exposure for sending a 15-year-old girl a nude picture of himself through Snapchat.

On Thursday, he admitted in court to the probation violation, according to court records, which do not disclose what the violation entailed.

The man also registered for football on Sept. 8 and participated in three practices, according to Kazmierczak. “He did not play in games or travel with the team to any away games,” he said.

He remains jailed but not charged in the school enrollment case. White Bear Lake Police Chief Dale Hager said Thursday investigators are pursuing possible crimes related to fraud, forgery and unlawful conduct involving interaction with minors.

Dennis Gerhardstein, a spokesman for the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, said Thursday a case has been presented against the man and is under review for possible charges.

The Pioneer Press generally does not identify suspects before they are charged.

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Forest Lake 22-year-old played football, attended school at White Bear Lake

Kazmierczak’s email to families comes two days after State Rep. Elliott Engen pinned the blame on the superintendent, calling into question the district’s enrollment verification protocols, student safety measures and administrative oversight.

Engen, R-Lino Lakes, whose district includes communities served by the White Bear Lake school district, also called for Kazmierczak’s immediate resignation.

Kazmierczak said the district will review its enrollment “procedures to determine whether additional safeguards can be implemented without violating the McKinney-Vento Act or guidance from the U.S. and Minnesota Departments of Education.”

Kazmierczak acknowledged the “staff, families and students who came forward with information that led to our investigation and swift action to revoke this individual’s enrollment.”

By JONATHAN MATTISE

Sean “Diddy” Combs is set to be sentenced Friday for violating the federal Mann Act, an anti-prostitution law with a century-old history.

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Although he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, Combs was convicted in July of flying people around the country, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, to engage in paid sexual encounters.

The Mann Act makes it illegal to transport someone across state lines for the purpose of prostitution or other illegal sex acts.

Over the years, the law has been used to prosecute R&B superstar R. Kelly, Jeffrey Epstein companion Ghislaine Maxwell, musician Chuck Berry and, more than a century ago, boxer Jack Johnson.

Its broad wording and a subsequent Supreme Court interpretation once allowed prosecutors to bring cases against interracial couples, and eventually many others in consensual relationships, according to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute.

The law was amended in the 1980s and today a lot of Mann Act prosecutions involve people accused of taking children across state lines for sexual purposes.

Here’s what to know about the law.

Why it’s called the Mann Act

In 1910, Congress passed the bill, which was named after Republican U.S. Rep. James Robert Mann of Illinois.

It’s also known as the “White-Slave Traffic Act” of 1910.

How it applies to Combs’ case

Combs was convicted of counts involving two former girlfriends: the R&B singer Cassie and a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane.

Both women said at trial that Combs had pressured them into degrading sex marathons with strangers, who were paid for the sexual performances. Jane said she was once beaten by Combs for declining to participate. Cassie said that when she tried to walk out of one such event, Combs beat her and dragged her down a hotel hallway.

Combs was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges but convicted of transporting people to engage in prostitution.

The history behind the law

The 1910 law originally prohibited the interstate or foreign transport of “any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.” It followed a 1907 congressionally appointed commission to look into the issue of immigrant sex workers, with the view that a girl would only enter prostitution if drugged or held captive, according to Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute.

The law was used to secure a conviction against Jack Johnson, who became the first Black boxer to win a world heavyweight title in 1910. Johnson was convicted in 1913 by an all-white jury for traveling with his white girlfriend, who worked as a sex worker, in violation of the Mann Act.

President Donald Trump posthumously pardoned Johnson in 2018, saying Johnson had served 10 months in prison “for what many view as a racially motivated injustice.”

How the law has changed since 1910

In a 1917 Supreme Court case, the justices ruled that “illicit fornication,” even when consensual, amounted to an “immoral purpose,” according to Cornell’s Legal Information Institute.

A 1986 update made the law gender-neutral and effectively ended the act’s role in trying to legislate morality by changing “debauchery” and “immoral purpose” to “any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense.”

The act received additional amendments in 1978 and 1994 to address issues of sexual exploitation of children.

How much prison time could Combs get?

Prosecutors have asked the judge to sentence Combs to more than 11 years in prison. Combs’ lawyers have said he should be sentenced to no more than a year, arguing that testimony during the trial about alleged violent acts against women and others wasn’t part of the conviction.

By HANNAH FINGERHUT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district, who was detained last week by immigration agents, was charged Thursday in federal court with possessing firearms while in the U.S. illegally, prosecutors said.

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Ian Roberts resigned this week as Des Moines’ superintendent of schools, just days after he was pulled over and fled from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who ultimately arrested him with the help of officers from the Iowa State Patrol. When he was arrested, federal agents found a handgun that was wrapped in a towel inside the Jeep Cherokee he was driving, according to court papers.

Roberts, who is originally from Guyana, had been jailed in Sioux City, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines, since late Friday afternoon. Officials said he was taken into custody on a federal arrest warrant for the weapons charge and appeared by video before a federal magistrate judge.

Roberts’ attorney, Alfredo Parrish, said his client will plead not guilty.

“Our position at this time — he has a presumption of innocence,” Parrish said. “He will exercise his right to indicate to the court, if he is indicted, that he’s not guilty,” Parrish said, adding that there has not been an indictment returned by the grand jury.

Roberts, 54, is alleged to have been in possession of four firearms, according to court documents. Authorities said Roberts had been authorized to work in the U.S. between December 2018 and 2020 but has since “not had lawful employment authorization,” according to the complaint.

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 in April this year. The complaint released Tuesday alleged that Roberts had that final removal order in a different car at his residence.

Roberts had been under the impression from a prior attorney that his immigration case was “resolved successfully,” his attorney has said.

“It has been my pleasure to represent you throughout this process, and I am pleased to report that your case has reached a successful resolution,” Texas attorney Jackeline Gonzalez wrote on March 27.

An aide to Gonzalez confirmed to The Associated Press Tuesday that the law firm had represented Roberts but gave no immediate comment.

Gonzalez spoke earlier this week to federal officials and said the letter she sent had informed Roberts “that the immigration case with Gonzalez’s office was being closed,” according to court papers. Roberts had an unpaid legal bill with her office.

“Gonzalez added that the letter was not intended to convey” that his case with the court had been completed, the court documents said.

Gonzalez declined to tell authorities, however, about her communication with Roberts about the immigration judge’s denial of the motion to reopen his case, which was sent to her office.

This photo provided by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows a loaded handgun found in the vehicle of Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (ICE via AP)

One firearm, the one found under the driver’s seat of his school-issued vehicle when he was arrested, was a pistol believed to have been purchased by Roberts’ wife, authorities said. The other three — a pistol, a rifle and a shotgun — were found during a search of Roberts’ home, the complaint said, and all were allegedly loaded.

The St. Paul Public Housing Agency broke ground with Ramsey County officials Thursday on a project to build 11 new deeply affordable homes as part of a $4.8 million effort expected to be completed by the fall of 2026.

The project, funded by the county and the SPPHA, includes seven townhomes at McDonough Homes and four townhomes at Dunedin Terrace. The homes will be affordable for families earning less than 30% of the area median income.

The agency operates publicly-owned properties and administers housing choice vouchers in St. Paul. McDonough Homes includes 592 apartments originally constructed in 1952, with additions made as recently as 2016. Dunedin Terrace Family Development includes 88 apartments originally constructed in 1966, with renovations made in 1992 and 1999.

The groundbreaking took place at McDonough Homes Community Center near Interstate 35E and Wheelock Parkway.

“These new townhomes further SPPHA’s mission to help families achieve greater stability and self-reliance through housing,” said Louise Seeba, SPPHA executive director, in a statement. “These eleven homes represent the Agency’s final available public housing subsidies. By maximizing our public housing development capacity, we’re ensuring that Saint Paul’s most vulnerable families have access to safe, affordable homes which will ultimately build a stronger, more inclusive community for all.”

Six two-bedroom residences — with one fully accessible with a bedroom and bathroom on the first floor — and one five-bedroom residence will be added to McDonough Homes which is in the North End neighborhood. Four three-bedroom residences with accessible first floors will be added at Dunedin Terrace in the West Side neighborhood. Units will include sprinkler systems, enhanced security and durability features to ensure long-term quality and safety, according to the agency.

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