UPDATE (7/15/24):  Diego Ibarra, a 28-year-old Venezuelan citizen, pleaded guilty to possessing a fraudulent green card in federal court on Monday. He will be sentenced in October, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.

Diego Ibarra admitted to two counts of possession of a fraudulent document before U.S. District Judge Tilman E. Self, III. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine per count. He remains in federal detention, with his sentencing date set for October 7. There is no parole in the federal system.

Court documents and statements referenced in court revealed Diego Ibarra possessed a counterfeit United States Permanent Resident Card in Athens, Georgia, on October 27, 2023 and February 23, 2024.

Ibarra’s sibling, 24-year-old Argenis Ibarra, and former roommate, 29-year-old Rosbeli Flores-Bello, both from Venezuela, are charged with two counts each of possession of a fraudulent document. They also face a maximum of ten years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine per count. An indictment is only an allegation of criminal conduct, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.

The indictment alleges that Argenis Ibarra and Flores-Bello each possessed a fraudulent United States Permanent Resident Card and a counterfeit United States Social Security Card on February 23, 2024, in Athens. Argenis Ibarra had his initial appearance in Macon on July 11 and was detained. Flores-Bello’s detention hearing is scheduled for July 16 in San Antonio, Texas.

A federal grand jury returned the superseding indictment charging all three co-defendants on June 11, 2024, which was unsealed on July 2, 2024.

The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from the FBI, GBI, Athens-Clarke County Police Department, University of Georgia Police Department, and Clarke County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison is prosecuting the case for the government.

ORIGINAL STORY (3/13/24):

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Diego Ibarra has been indicted in Macon on possession of counterfeit immigration document.

If convicted, Ibarra faces a maximum of 10 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

The indictment states Diego Ibarra knew the document was forged.