Two brothers and a roommate of Laken Riley’s killer were sentenced to prison Wednesday for possessing fake green cards, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Georgia.
Two of the Venezuelan nationals will be released on the time they have already served and be deported, according to prosecutors. The three were arrested during the February 2024 investigation into Riley’s death after the 22-year-old nursing student was found killed during a morning run on the University of Georgia campus.
In November, Jose Ibarra was convicted of Riley’s murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Riley’s violent death ignited the national debate over illegal immigration after it was determined her killer had entered the country illegally. In January, President Donald Trump signed into law a bill named for Riley that gives federal immigration agencies more authority to detain and deport migrants accused of a variety of crimes, including theft and burglary, assault of a law enforcement officer or any crimes involving serious bodily injury.
“We will keep Laken’s memory alive and in our hearts forever, everyone’s hearts,” Trump said. “Her name will also live forever in the laws of our country.”
On Feb. 22, 2024, Riley began a run shortly after 9 a.m. on Feb. 22 on trails in a wooded area near the campus intramural fields. Minutes later, she came to a complete stop when she was approached by Jose Ibarra, investigators later said. Her body was found hours later.
During the homicide investigation, Athens-Clarke County officers initially approached Jose Ibarra’s brother, Diego Ibarra, because he matched the description of the suspect. When Diego Ibarra gave an officer a phony green card, he was arrested, according to investigators. Jose Ibarra was then arrested and charged with Riley’s murder.
Diego Ibarra, 29, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison — above the federal sentencing guideline range — after pleading guilty to two counts of possession of a fraudulent document in July, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The Ibarras’ younger brother, Argenis Ibarra, 25, was sentenced to time served after he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a fraudulent document in December.
A third person, Rosbeli Flores-Bello, 29, was sentenced to time served after she pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a fraudulent document in December, according to prosecutors. She was previously a roommate of the Ibarra brothers.
Credit: NYT
Credit: NYT
Federal agents found counterfeit Social Security cards for Argenis Ibarra and Flores-Bello in the apartment they shared with Diego and Jose Ibarra, investigators said.
Investigators believe Diego Ibarra illegally entered the U.S. in April 2023, along with four other Venezuelan men, by crossing the border in Texas. He had previously been removed from the U.S. and was believed to be a Venezuelan gang member with his younger brother, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Georgia Secretary of State.
Diego Ibarra was given an ankle monitor, but later cut it off before arriving in Athens, where he was arrested several times, investigators determined.
Flores-Bello illegally entered the U.S. on May 3, 2023, and was arrested, investigators said. But she was released on her own recognizance because the processing center lacked space. Flores-Bello met Jose Ibarra in December 2023 in New York before moving to Athens.
On Wednesday, State Attorney General Chris Carr said he filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, defending the Trump administration’s efforts to immediately deport members of the Tren de Aragua gang members. Both of Jose Ibarra’s brothers are believed to be affiliated with the gang, Carr said.
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