Jose Ibarra’s brothers and their roommate all pleaded guilty to possessing fake documents, the Justice Department says.
Three Venezuelan nationals connected to the high-profile Laken Riley case will be deported back to their home countries, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said March 19.
Jose Ibarra, 27, was convicted in November of Riley’s murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Now, Ibarra’s brothers and former roommate face deportation after they pleaded guilty to possessing fake green cards, according to a DOJ statement on the case.
The Ibarra Brothers
The DOJ said that both of Ibarra’s brothers will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to face deportation.
The older brother, Diego Ibarra, 29, gave a counterfeit green card to a police officer investigating Riley’s murder. He was initially flagged by law enforcement because he fit the description of the primary suspect in the case. Diego Ibarra was sentenced to a total of 48 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a fraudulent document in July 2024.
According to prosecutors, Diego Ibarra entered the United States illegally in April 2023 near Eagle Pass, Texas. He is likely affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), the DOJ said. Hundreds of TdA members have been deported in sweeping ICE arrests across the nation.
The younger brother, Argenis Ibarra, 25, also entered the country illegally in early April 2023 near Eagle Pass. He was caught and sent to Mexico, but tried to return to the United States later that month. He was then taken to an ICE processing center in El Paso, but the facility lacked space and he was released. The DOJ said two of his Employment Authorization Forms had been rejected.
Argenis Ibarra was sentenced to time served after he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a fraudulent document in December 2024.
The Roommate
The brothers’ roommate, Rosbeli Flores-Bello, 29, was arrested by Border Patrol agents on May 3, 2023, after illegally entering the United States. She was sent to the same processing center in El Paso but released for the same reason.
