Venezuelan man sentenced to 4 years after being found in possession of fake Green Card during Athens murder investigation
A Venezuelan man in the U.S. illegally was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for possessing a fraudulent Green Card after authorities encountered him during the investigation into the murder of a 22-year-old nursing student, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
ATHENS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A Venezuelan man in the U.S. illegally was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for possessing a fraudulent Green Card after authorities encountered him during the investigation into the murder of a 22-year-old nursing student, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
According to a news release, 29-year-old Diego Jose Ibarra, also known as “Gocho,” pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a fraudulent document on July 15, 2024. U.S. District Judge Tilman E. Self III sentenced Ibarra on March 19 to four years in prison, followed by deportation, above the federal sentencing guideline range.
His brother, 25-year-old Argenis Ibarra, and former roommate, 29-year-old Rosbeli Flores-Bello, both of Venezuela, pleaded guilty to similar charges and were sentenced to time served. They will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation.
According to court documents, authorities became aware of Diego Ibarra’s illegal status during the murder investigation of Laken Hope Riley, who was kidnapped and murdered on February 22, 2024, while jogging near the University of Georgia. The following day, an Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACCPD) officer approached Diego Ibarra because he resembled the primary suspect—his brother, Jose Antonio Ibarra. When questioned, Diego Ibarra provided officers with a counterfeit U.S. Permanent Resident Card and was taken into custody. His brother was later convicted of Riley’s murder on November 20, 2024, in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court and sentenced to life in prison.
Prosecutors said Diego Ibarra illegally crossed into the U.S. on April 30, 2023, near El Paso, Texas. When approached by Border Patrol agents, he resisted arrest, grabbed an agent’s radio, threw it into a yard and tried to bite the agent. After a struggle, National Guard personnel helped to detain him. He was later released from immigration custody under the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program with a GPS ankle monitor, which he cut off in May 2023 before settling in Athens.
Authorities said Ibarra had multiple encounters with law enforcement before his arrest in February 2024. He was arrested in Athens for DUI in September 2023, shoplifting in October and December 2023, and failed to appear in court for his DUI charge. He was also involved in a domestic dispute in September 2023. While jailed in Butts County, he caused severe water damage to a detention center by damaging the fire sprinkler system and was later found with two improvised weapons.
Investigators linked Ibarra to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) through tattoos, social media posts and gang-related clothing. He had previously been removed from the U.S. in April 2023 before re-entering illegally.
Argenis Ibarra and Flores-Bello were also in the U.S. illegally and possessed fraudulent residency documents. Both had been detained at ICE facilities before being released due to space constraints. Flores-Bello had originally been scheduled for immigration court in New York before relocating to Athens to live with the Ibarra brothers.
