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Mariya Chernykh, an immigrant that is russian alleged sham marriage up to a Riverside man was found when her spouse became an element of the Dec. 2 San Bernardino terrorist shooting investigation, pleaded bad to conspiracy, perjury and two counts of earning 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. She’s planned become sentenced Nov. 20.
Chernykh’s lawyer David Kaloyanides, following the court had been adjourned, stated the regards to the plea contract had been “not for general public usage. ”
Chernykh additionally faces deportation, and contains been during the Adelanto Detention center in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since right after her arrest. She starred in court Thursday in handcuffs and a jumpsuit that is orange.
Authorities say Chernykh’s cousin, Tatiana Farook, that is hitched to Syed Raheel Farook, the sibling of just one of this San Bernardino shooters, arranged on her behalf getting hitched to household friend in 2014 so she could obtain immigration advantages.
Authorities don’t believe the two couples assisted plan or carry out of the Dec. 2 assault. Nevertheless the guns utilized to destroy 14 people and wound 22 was in fact bought by Chernykh’s spouse, federal prosecutors state, and people ties brought scrutiny that led all four of these become faced with immigration fraudulence.
Chernykh could be the defendant that is second plead bad. On Jan. 10, Raheel Farook admitted to a single felony fee of conspiring to commit immigration fraudulence. He could be planned become sentenced Nov. 13.
Tatiana Farook is planned to visit test in March. Chernykh’s spouse, Enrique Marquez Jr., who faces more charges that are serious is placed to attend test Sept. 28.
Exactly How they’re related
Chernykh along with her sibling — then Tatiana Gigliotti — stumbled on the U.S. In 2009 on three-month visas, and never left july.
In 2013, Gigliotti married Raheel Farook, bro of Syed Rizwan Farook, who carried out of the San Bernardino assault alongside their spouse, Tashfeen Malik, during the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. The shooters had been killed in a gunfight with police a few hours later on.
The Farook brothers spent my youth in Riverside door that is next Marquez’s family members, and also the men had been buddies.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Robinson, during Thursday’s hearing, stated Farook create Chernykh and Marquez; these were hitched in 2014.
However the wedding had been a sham, Robinson stated, which Marquez ended up being paid $200 a to go along with month.
Sham wedding allegations
Robinson stated Chernykh and Marquez lied to authorities on a few occasions before and after the Dec. 2 assault, 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 created a lease that is backdated imagine they lived during the Corona household, court papers state.
In fact, Robinson stated, Chernykh lived in Ontario along with her boyfriend, that is the paternalfather of her youngster, while Marquez lived together with his moms and dads in Riverside.
“Mariyah Chernykh fundamentally admitted to lying to FBI agents who have been urgently looking for responses rigtht after the assault to ensure there have been no extra threats to general public safety, ” said FBI l. A. Assistant Director Deirdre Fike in a news launch Thursday.
The wedding allowed Chernykh to try to get permanent residence. Documents say the application form ended up being rejected Dec. 3 whenever she and Marquez did not go to the CIS conference.
Marquez, since 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 assaults, in accordance with an affidavit filed in federal court.
Appropriate problems
Marquez ended up being faced with conspiracy to present product help to terrorists, making false statements in the purchase of firearms, wedding fraudulence and abuse of visas, licenses and other papers.
Then in marriage fraud conspiracy charges were filed against Raheel Farook and the Russian sisters april.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement started deportation proceedings against Chernykh. Kaloyanides stated during the period of her arrest that she had sent applications for asylum, an activity that will just take years.
In September, an immigration judge denied a movement to finish the deportation procedures, but postponed further hearings through to the unlawful case concludes. Chernykh’s immigration lawyer Niels Frenzen stated by phone Thursday that she’s got a status meeting when you look at the reduction situation planned for Feb. 8.