Laken Riley’s suspected killer’s illegal migrant brother facing 10-year sentence over fake green card
The Venezuelan illegal migrant brother of Laken Riley’s alleged killer was indicted Tuesday in federal court.
Diego Ibarra, 28, was arrested on the same day as his brother, Jose Ibarra, for handing officers a fake green card.
Police in Athens, Georgia, had stopped him as he matched the description of his brother — who is now facing murder charges over the death of 22-year-old nursing student Riley, who was killed while jogging on Feb 22.
Diego, 28, had been let into the country by border agents with an ankle monitor in April 2023, which he promptly cut off in Colorado and absconded, according to a previous court motion to keep him detained.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia has now indicted Diego with one count of possession of a counterfeit immigration document, saying he “knowingly” possessed a “forged, counterfeited, altered, falsely made, and otherwise unlawfully obtained” green card.
If he’s convicted, Diego could face up to ten years of prison time, followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
The report to keep Diego detained described his arrest, stating: “At his apartment, Ibarra handed Sgt. Johnson an ID, which purported to be a United States Permanent Resident Card (colloquially referred to as a “Green Card”).
“The ID contained Ibarra’s photograph and the name ‘Diego Jose Ibarra.’ Sgt. Johnson immediately recognized that the ID was fraudulent due to its poor quality and the fact that the ID listed two different birth dates for Ibarra.”
The filings by the US attorneys against Diego also pointed out in photos how he has gang tattoos associated with the dealy Venezuelan El Tren de Aragua gang on his neck and face. It’s not clear if he had them a year ago when he was admitted into the US.
Diego and his younger brother, Argenis, 24, were initially apprehended by Border Patrol on April 30, 2023, trying to sneak across the southern border into El Paso, Texas, according to internal ICE documents reviewed by The Post.
The brothers had already tried to enter the US on April 3, 2023 near Eagle Pass, Texas, but were quickly expelled by border agents.
After crossing the southern border a second time, Diego “actively resisted” border agents and “by running away and scuffling with” one of them, but the FBI declined to prosecute based on a possible medical issue, according to the internal documents.
That same day, Diego was processed and released into the US by federal authorities after claiming fear for his life if returned to Venezuela.
In late September, Athens-Clarke County Police Department arrested Diego for driving under the influence and driving without a license. He was arrested the next month for shoplifting, and again in December for failing to appear for a fingerprintable offense.
He’d also used his fake ID card to try and get a job.
“Diego Ibarra presented a fake green card to the hiring unit to begin a temporary position as a dishwasher in Bolton Dining Hall at the University of Georgia on Feb. 6, 2024,” UGA spokesperson Greg Trevor recently told The Post.
“He subsequently failed to submit further documentation required to keep the job and was never paid by the University. He has been fired.”
Both Jose and Diego are yet to enter a plea in charges against them. Argenis remained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on March 8, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
