The brother of Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan unlawful immigrant convicted of killing 22-year-old nursing scholar Laken Riley Feb. 22, 2024, whereas she was jogging on the College of Georgia campus, was sentenced to jail and deportation after he pleaded responsible to having a pretend inexperienced card in the course of the homicide investigation.
Diego “Gocho” Ibarra, 29, of Venezuela, was sentenced Wednesday to 4 years behind bars after pleading responsible to 2 counts of possession of a fraudulent doc July 15, 2024. The sentence was above the federal sentencing guideline vary, and he is not going to be eligible for parole.
Riley’s killer, Jose Ibarra, lived together with his brothers — Diego and Argenis “Meny” Ibarra, 25, of Venezuela — and a feminine roommate, Rosbeli “La Gorda” Flores-Bello, 29, of Venezuela, in an Athens, Georgia house advanced on the time of the homicide. All 4 have been questioned and arrested by investigators.
Diego Ibarra seems in federal courtroom on immigration expenses Thursday. Ibarra is the brother of Jose Ibarra, who was convicted within the homicide of Laken Riley in Athens, Ga., in November. (Lucy Luckovich)
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Argenis Ibarra and Flores-Bello admitted to having pretend inexperienced playing cards underneath completely different names Feb. 23, 2024, and pleaded responsible to possession of a fraudulent doc in December 2024. Nevertheless, they remained within the states.
In Wednesday’s ruling, U.S. District Decide Tilman E. Self ordered Diego Ibarra to be positioned in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on the finish of his federal jail sentence and ordered Argenis Ibarra and Flores-Bello be positioned in ICE custody instantly.
In line with courtroom paperwork and statements, Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) was notified of Diego Ibarra’s unlawful presence within the U.S. Feb. 23, 2024, in the course of the Laken Riley homicide investigation.
Jose Ibarra seems in courtroom in Athens, Ga., Nov. 1, 2024. (Robin Rayne for Fox Information Digital)
On the time, an Athens-Clarke County Police Division (ACCPD) officer trying to find Jose Ibarra approached Diego Ibarra as a result of he matched his brother’s description.
Diego Ibarra gave the ACCPD officer a pretend inexperienced card when requested for identification and was taken into custody.
Investigators later found his journey to the U.S. concerned a number of unlawful border crossings, and, as soon as within the U.S., his prison exercise continued.
He was first despatched again to Mexico April 3, 2023, after he was caught illegally getting into the U.S. close to Eagle Move, Texas, based on an announcement from the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the Center District of Georgia.
Diego Ibarra seems in federal courtroom on immigration expenses in Macon, Ga., March 8. (Lucy Luckovich)
Lower than a month later, on April 30, 2023, he tried once more to interrupt into the nation with 4 different Venezuelan males by crossing the border close to Ysleta Station in El Paso, Texas.
In a battle with United States Border Patrol (USBP) brokers, Diego Ibarra grabbed and threw an agent’s service radio earlier than making an attempt to chunk the agent. The encounter was damaged up by members of the Nationwide Guard.
He was taken to a hospital after complaining of chest pains and ache in his again and leg, which he attributed to scaling and falling from the border fence throughout his unlawful crossing.
After admitting his accidents weren’t from the battle with brokers, he claimed asylum and “fear of return” to Venezuela.
ICE is conducting flights to take away unlawful immigrants from the U.S. to their dwelling nations. (ICE Seattle)
ICE Enforcement and Removing Operations (ERO) positioned him within the Options to Detention (ATD) program Might 11, 2023, and he was launched from immigration custody the subsequent day underneath the situation he put on a GPS ankle bracelet and report back to New York pending asylum proceedings. He by no means confirmed up.
Diego Ibarra’s ankle monitor final “pinged” close to Littleton, Colorado, Might 25, 2023, and he minimize it off in some unspecified time in the future earlier than his remaining arrest, based on the assertion.
He moved to Georgia, the place he briefly labored at a UGA cafeteria, and was subsequently arrested on numerous expenses, together with DUI and driving with no license Sept. 24, 2023; shoplifting Oct. 27, 2023; and shoplifting with an impressive arrest warrant Dec. 8, 2023.
Laken Riley was a nursing scholar discovered lifeless close to a lake on the College of Georgia campus Feb. 22, 2024. (Allyson Phillips/Fb)
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ACCPD additionally responded to a home incident involving Diego Ibarra and his girlfriend Sept. 26, 2023.
Whereas jailed on the Butts County Detention Middle for the pretend paperwork discovered in the course of the Riley homicide investigation, Diego Ibarra precipitated “severe water damage” when he broke a jail cell block fireplace sprinkler system, based on the assertion.
On June 25, 2024, jail guards discovered Ibarra with two improvised weapons, together with a sharpened sprinkler head with a makeshift grip and a pen wrapped in saran wrap.
Court docket paperwork observe Diego Ibarra is probably going affiliated with the Venezuelan unlawful immigrant road gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), primarily based on proof that included his a number of TdA tattoos and photographs of him on social media making TdA gang indicators and carrying TdA clothes.
Alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang (Edward Romero)
President Donald Trump on Saturday invoked the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to focus on TdA, designated a overseas terrorist group Feb. 20 by the Division of State.
Whereas Argenis Ibarra and Flores-Bello’s border-crossing backgrounds are much less prolonged than Diego Ibarra’s, investigators discovered Argenis Ibarra additionally entered the U.S. illegally a number of occasions.
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Argenis Ibarra entered the U.S. illegally April 3, 2023, close to Eagle Move, Texas, and the USBP returned him to Mexico.
Lower than a month later, on April 30, 2023, the USBP arrested him once more close to El Paso, Texas, and took him to an ICE processing heart in El Paso, based on the assertion. He was launched Might 4, 2023, “because the processing center lacked space.”
Regulation enforcement and brokers defend the border in El Paso, Texas. (David Peinado/NurPhoto by way of Getty Pictures)
Equally, Flores-Bello was arrested after illegally getting into the nation Might 3, 2023, taken to an ICE processing heart in El Paso and launched on Might 5, 2023, “because the processing center lacked space,” based on the assertion.
She offered a house tackle in New York and was scheduled for an immigration courtroom listening to on Oct. 18, 2023, however took a humanitarian flight to Atlanta, Georgia, in December 2023 with Jose Ibarra, whom she met in New York.
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She settled in Athens and lived with the Ibarra brothers till Laken Riley was murdered.
Jose Ibarra was convicted Nov. 20, 2024 of malice homicide, three counts of felony homicide and assault with intent to rape, amongst different expenses, in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court docket.
He’s serving a life sentence.
Fox Information Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
