Brother of man convicted of killing Laken Riley sentenced, to be deported
GEORGIA (WJBF) – The brother of Jose Ibarra, the Venezuelan man who was convicted of killing Augusta University College of Nursing student, Laken Riley, was sentenced on Wednesday and will be deported after serving his time.
According to the United States Department of Justice, Diego Ibarra, also known as 'Gocho,' 29, was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison after he admitted to possessing a fraudulent Green Card during the murder investigation of Laken Riley and pled guilty to two counts of possession of a fraudulent document on July 15th, 2024.
The U.S. DOJ adds that Argenis Ibarra, also known as 'Meny,' 25, also of Venezuela, was sentenced to time served after he pled guilty to one count of possession of a fraudulent document on December 10th, 2024, and Rosbeli Flores-Bello, also known as 'La Gorda,' 29, also of Venezuela, was sentenced to time served after she pled guilty to one count of possession of a fraudulent document on December 11th, 2024.
ALSO ON WJBF: Body cam video released of officer-involved shooting in Augusta
According to court documents and statements referenced in court, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was made aware of Diego Ibarra's undocumented presence in the United States on February 23rd, 2024, during the murder investigation of Laken Riley, and at the time, an Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACCPD) officer approached Diego Ibarra because he matched the description of the primary suspect in the murder investigation, which was his brother, Jose Antonio Ibarra.
The documents state that during that time, Diego Ibarra gave the ACCPD officer a counterfeit U.S. Permanent Resident Card (also called a Green Card) as identification and was taken into custody.
According to the U.S. DOJ, Diego Ibarra, Argenis Ibarra, and Rosbeli Flores-Bello are to be delivered to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation as Diego Ibarra will be placed in ICE custody at the conclusion of his federal prison sentence while Argenis Ibarra and Flores-Bello will be placed in ICE custody immediately.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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