ATHENS, GA. — According to federal authorities, two brothers of the Venezuelan man who killed Georgia nursing student Laken Riley will be deported along with their former roommate after entering a guilty plea to having forged green cards.
In a case that turned into a hot spot over immigration, Jose Ibarra, 27, was found guilty in November of murder and other charges related to Riley’s death. He was given a life sentence without the prospect of release. According to the Justice Department, his brother Diego Ibarra, 29, was arrested after providing a fake green card to a police officer looking into the February 2024 murder.
According to a news statement from the department, agents discovered false Social Security cards for two brothers, Argenis Ibarra, 25, and Rosbeli Flores-Bello, 29, in the apartment they lived with Diego and Jose Ibarra. Both brothers admitted to having fraudulent green cards.
Diego Ibarra pleaded guilty in July to two charges of possessing a fake document and was sentenced on Wednesday to four years in federal prison. After serving his term, the department said, he will be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, for deportation.
In December, Argenis and Flores-Bello pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a fake document, and on Wednesday, they were each sentenced to time served. The news release stated that they were to be handed over to ICE for deportation right away. Those deportation measures were not explained in detail in the announcement.
Diego Ibarra’s numerous tattoos and social media posts showing him holding signs and dressed in gang-related attire have led federal officials to conclude that he is connected to the Venezuelan group Tren de Aragua.
