Share this:
Mariya Chernykh, an immigrant that is russian alleged sham marriage up to a Riverside man had been found whenever her spouse became area of the Dec. 2 San Bernardino terrorist shooting investigation, pleaded responsible 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. 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 general public usage. ”
Chernykh additionally faces deportation, and it has 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 plus an orange jumpsuit.
Authorities say Chernykh’s sibling, Tatiana Farook, that is hitched to Syed Raheel Farook, the bro of 1 for the San Bernardino shooters, arranged on her to obtain hitched to a grouped family members buddy in 2014 so she could get immigration advantages.
Authorities don’t believe the two partners assisted plan or carry out of the Dec. 2 assault. However the guns utilized to destroy 14 people and wound 22 was indeed purchased by Chernykh’s spouse, federal prosecutors state, and people ties brought scrutiny that led all four of these become charged with immigration fraudulence.
Chernykh could be the 2nd defendant to plead bad. On Jan. 10, Raheel Farook admitted to at least one felony fee of conspiring to commit immigration fraudulence. He could be planned become sentenced Nov. 13.
Tatiana Farook is planned to attend trial in March. Chernykh’s spouse, Enrique Marquez Jr., whom faces more charges that are serious is scheduled to attend trial Sept. 28.
How they’re related
Chernykh and 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, 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 had been killed in a gunfight with authorities a few hours later on.
The Farook brothers was raised in Riverside door that is next Marquez’s household, therefore the males had been buddies.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Robinson, during’s hearing, said how to use sugardaddie Farook set up Chernykh and Marquez; they were married in 2014 thursday.
However 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 before and after the Dec. 2 assault, pretending they lived together along side Raheel and Tatiana Farook in Corona.
On Dec. 1, 2 days 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 at the Corona home, court papers state.
The truth is, Robinson stated, Chernykh lived in Ontario along with her boyfriend, that is the paternalfather of her kid, while Marquez lived together with his parents in Riverside.
“Mariyah Chernykh fundamentally admitted to lying to FBI agents who had been urgently searching for responses rigtht after the assault to make sure that there have been no extra threats to safety that is public” said FBI l. A. Assistant Director Deirdre Fike in a news launch Thursday.
The wedding permitted Chernykh to try to get permanent residence. Documents say the applying ended up being rejected Dec. 3 whenever she and Marquez did not go to the CIS conference.
Marquez, because it proved, had been suicidal and hospitalized that day after realizing Rizwan Farook had utilized firearms Marquez bought to transport out of the Dec. 2 assaults, based on an affidavit filed in federal court.
Appropriate problems
Marquez had been faced with conspiracy to give you product help to terrorists, making false statements in the purchase of firearms, marriage fraudulence and abuse of visas, licenses and other documents.
Then in April, wedding fraudulence conspiracy fees had been filed against Raheel Farook and also the Russian siblings.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement started deportation proceedings against Chernykh. Kaloyanides stated during the period of her arrest that she had requested asylum, a procedure that will just simply take years.
In September, an immigration judge denied a movement to get rid of the deportation procedures, but postponed further hearings before the case that is criminal. Chernykh’s immigration lawyer Niels Frenzen stated by phone that she has a status conference in the removal case scheduled for Feb. 8 thursday.