MACON, Ga. — Diego Ibarra, the brother of Laken Riley's accused killer, Jose Ibarra, appeared before a federal judge Monday afternoon in his case involving allegedly possessing a fake green card.
The 29-year-old, of Venezuela, made an initial appearance at the William Augustus Bootle Federal Building in Macon. He has not been charged or accused of having any connection to the killing of Riley.
The initial appearance took 15 minutes. U.S. District Court Judge Charles Weigle, with the help of a translator, explained that he is facing one charge of possessing a fraudulent document in the case.
RELATED: ICE was not notified about alleged Laken Riley killer's past run-ins with police, US official says
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Middle District of Georgia, an Athens-Clarke County Police officer approached Diego on Feb. 23, and he allegedly showed the officer a green card, which investigators deemed to be fraudulent. Diego was processed for an expedited removal, but the release stated he claimed "credible fear" of returning to Venezuela.
He was previously released from immigration custody, claiming asylum in April 2023, according to the release.
Diego's case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with help from the FBI, GBI, Athens-Clarke County Police Department, University of Georgia Police Department and Clarke County Sheriff’s Office. If convicted, investigators said Diego could face a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Diego Ibarra will remain in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until his preliminary and detention hearing, which will take place on Thursday.
Meanwhile, in Athens-Clarke County, the district attorney’s office is preparing to try the case of Diego’s brother, Jose Ibarra, the man accused of killing Riley nearly two weeks ago.
District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez said their office is ready. Gonzalez said special prosecutor Shelia Ross has sufficient experience and is the right person for the job.
"She has been in our office before. She knows our circuit, she knows our office, she knows our people," she said.
News happens fast. Stream it faster with our re-designed 11Alive+ app.
Watch newscasts, breaking news streams and get the latest sports, weather and VERIFY content -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Available on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. Text "plus" to 404-885-7600 to download 11Alive+ and stream now.