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Mariya Chernykh, an immigrant that is russian alleged sham marriage up to a Riverside man had been found whenever her husband became an element of the Dec. 2 San Bernardino terrorist shooting investigation, pleaded accountable to conspiracy, perjury as well as 2 counts of creating false statements Thursday in federal court in Riverside.
Under a plea contract with prosecutors, Chernykh faces as much as 20 years in jail and $1 million in fines. This woman is planned become sentenced Nov. 20.
Chernykh’s lawyer David Kaloyanides, following the court ended up being adjourned, stated the regards to the plea contract had been “not for general general public usage. ”
Chernykh additionally faces deportation, and has now been in the Adelanto Detention Facility in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since soon after her arrest. She starred in court Thursday in handcuffs plus a jumpsuit that is orange.
Authorities say Chernykh’s sibling, Tatiana Farook, that is russiancupid hitched to Syed Raheel Farook, the sibling of 1 of this San Bernardino shooters, arranged on her to have hitched up to a grouped family members buddy in 2014 so she could get immigration advantages.
Authorities don’t believe the two partners aided plan or carry the Dec. Out 2 assault. Nevertheless the guns utilized to destroy 14 people and wound 22 was indeed bought by Chernykh’s spouse, federal prosecutors state, and those ties brought scrutiny that led all four of those become faced with immigration fraudulence.
Chernykh may be the 2nd defendant to plead responsible. On Jan. 10, Raheel Farook admitted to at least one felony fee of conspiring to commit fraud that is immigration. He could be planned become sentenced Nov. 13.
Tatiana Farook is planned to visit test in March. Chernykh’s spouse, Enrique Marquez Jr., whom faces more charges that are serious is defined to attend test Sept. 28.
How they’re related
Chernykh along with her sis — then Tatiana Gigliotti — stumbled on the U.S. In July 2009 on three-month visas, and never left.
In 2013, Gigliotti married Raheel Farook, cousin of Syed Rizwan Farook, who carried out of the San Bernardino attack alongside their spouse, Tashfeen Malik, during the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. The shooters were killed in a gunfight with authorities a hours that are few.
The Farook brothers spent my youth in Riverside across the street to Marquez’s family members, as well as the males had been buddies.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Robinson, during’s hearing, said Farook set up Chernykh and Marquez; they were married in 2014 thursday.
Nevertheless the wedding had been a sham, Robinson stated, which Marquez ended up being compensated $200 a to go along with month.
Sham wedding allegations
Robinson stated Chernykh and Marquez lied to authorities on a few occasions pre and post the Dec. 2 attack, pretending they lived together along side Raheel and Tatiana Farook in Corona.
On Dec. 1, two times before Chernykh and Marquez had a gathering with ending up in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration provider, they developed a backdated rent to imagine they lived during the Corona home, court documents state.
In fact, Robinson stated, Chernykh lived in Ontario along with her boyfriend, who’s the daddy of her youngster, while Marquez lived together with his moms and dads in Riverside.
“Mariyah Chernykh ultimately admitted to lying to FBI agents have been urgently searching for responses rigtht after the assault to make sure that there have been no extra threats to general public safety, ” said FBI l. A. Assistant Director Deirdre Fike in a news launch Thursday.
The marriage permitted Chernykh to utilize for permanent residence. Court papers say the applying ended up being rejected Dec. 3 whenever she and Marquez neglected to go to the CIS conference.
Marquez, because it ended up, had been suicidal and hospitalized that day after realizing Rizwan Farook had utilized firearms Marquez bought to transport out of the Dec. 2 attacks, based on an affidavit filed in federal court.
Appropriate problems
Marquez ended up being faced with conspiracy to give product help to terrorists, making false statements in the purchase of firearms, wedding fraudulence and misuse of visas, licenses and other documents.
Then in April, wedding fraudulence conspiracy fees were filed against Raheel Farook therefore the Russian siblings.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement started deportation proceedings against Chernykh. Kaloyanides said in the time of her arrest that she had sent applications for asylum, an ongoing process that will simply just take years.
In September, an immigration judge denied a movement to finish the deportation procedures, but postponed further hearings before the case that is criminal. Chernykh’s immigration lawyer Niels Frenzen said by phone Thursday that she’s got a status seminar within the treatment situation scheduled for Feb. 8.
