Brother of UGA murder suspect pleads guilty in Macon case, admits having fake green card

The brother of the man suspected of killing a University of Georgia student pleaded guilty Monday to possessing a fake green card, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Georgia said.

Diego Ibarra of Venezuela pleaded guilty before Judge Tilman Self III on two counts of possessing a counterfeit Permanent Resident Card under the name Diego Jose Ibarra when he lived in Athens. He’s expected to face 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and faces a maximum fine of $250,000 on each count. Ibarra will be sentenced on Oct. 7, prosecutors said.

According to multiple media outlets, he’s the brother of Venezuelan Jose Ibarra, the man accused of killing Laken Riley , a nursing student at UGA, while on a run on Feb. 22. Riley’s body was found in a wooded area behind a lake on the UGA campus.

In that case, Jose Ibarra has been charged with murder, aggravated assault and battery, kidnapping and concealing the death of another. He was also charged with interfering with a 911 call, which is a misdemeanor.

The Ibarras’ youngest brother, Argenis Ibarra, and former roommate Rosbeli Flores-Bello, who are both from Venezuela, also face the same two charges as Diego Ibarra. Their indictment is only an allegation of criminal conduct and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

According to the indictment, Ibarra’s younger brother and Flores-Bello owned fake Permanent Resident Cards and fake Social Security cards in the names of Argenis Jose Ibarra Ibarra and Rodrianny Brito Brito. While the court proceedings for Ibarra’s younger brother are being held in Macon, Flores-Bello’s proceedings will be held in San Antonio.

The cases of Diego Ibarra, Argenis Ibarra and Flores-Bello are being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. The FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, the University of Georgia Police Department and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office helped on the case.