Co-defendant in 2019 UC Irvine fraternity alcohol poisoning death pleads no contest

A 23-year-old man pleaded no contest Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of allowing a party or gathering at which underage drinking was permitted in 2019 that resulted in the alcohol poisoning death of his UC Irvine fraternity brother, Noah Domingo.

Mohamed Ibragim Kharaev was sentenced to pay $970 in court fees by Orange County Superior Court Judge John Adams.

Domingo, 18, was a freshman at UC Irvine when he joined the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity a few months before his death on Jan. 12. Domingo was said to have passed out following the group’s “Big Brother Night” and was found in bed the next morning.

Toxicology reports indicated that Domingo’s blood-alcohol level was about 0.33% at the time of his death — four times the legal limit of 0.08%. No other substances were detected.

Officials said there was no evidence that any of the defendants had engaged in hazing in connection with Domingo’s death.

Kharaev joins fellow co-defendants Jonathan Gabriel Villicana, Caleb Gavin Valleroy and Jonathan Anephi Vu in pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges in Domingo’s death. They, along with co-defendant Zavier Larenz Brown, who pleaded not guilty to the charges in September 2020, leased the off-campus property in Irvine where the party was held.

Brown is scheduled to appear in court at the Harbor Justice Center for the start of his jury trial on Feb. 23. If convicted of all charges, Brown could face a maximum of 18 months in jail.

The Orange County district attorney’s office in October 2019 charged all five with misdemeanor charges related to holding a party or gathering at which underage drinking was permitted and furnishing a minor with alcohol, resulting in great bodily injury or death.

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