Venezuelan Citizen Pleads Guilty to Possessing Fraudulent Green Card

A Venezuelan citizen, Diego Ibarra, 28, pleaded guilty in federal court today to two counts of possession of a fraudulent document. The plea was made before U.S. District Judge Tilman E. Self, III, on July 15. Ibarra is facing a maximum sentence of ten years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release and a potential fine of $250,000 per count. He remains in federal detention, with sentencing scheduled for October 7. Parole is not available in the federal system.

According to court documents, Ibarra admitted to possessing a counterfeit United States Permanent Resident Card in Athens, Georgia, on two occasions—October 27, 2023, and February 23, 2024.

Additionally, Ibarra’s sibling, Argenis Ibarra, 24, and former roommate, Rosbeli Flores-Bello, 29, both of Venezuela, have been indicted on similar charges, facing identical penalties. An indictment is an allegation of criminal conduct, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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

The superseding indictment charging all three defendants was returned by a federal grand jury on June 11, 2024, and 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.