These other plans were never carried out, but prosecutors say they became very detailed, with participants discussing strategies for assaulting a busy road in Riverside, California, so that they could kill motorists and first responders alike.
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The next court appearance for all three is scheduled for June 6 in federal court in Los Angeles. Her other son, Syed Raheel Farook, along with his wife and the wife’s sister, were charged with marriage fraud and pleaded not guilty.
The marriage charges are unrelated to the attack. All three were released on bail, which was set at $25,000 for Raheel, $35,000 for his wife, and $50,000 for Chernykh.
The FBI has just announced the arrests of three people connected to San Bernardino killer Syed Rizwan Farook, including the terrorist’s brother and another man accused of supplying guns used in last December’s attacks that killed 14.
Syed Raheel Farook is a decorated Navy veteran who is married to a woman named Tatiana Chernykh.
Tatiana and Chernykh both immigrated from Russian Federation, the latter in 2009.
If convicted of the marriage fraud conspiracy charges, all three defendants could face up to five years in federal prison.
Syed Rizwan Farook’s family maintains they had no inkling about the plot.
Marquez told authorities that he conspired with Rizwan Farook in 2011 and 2012 to carry out maximum casualty attacks with Rizwan Farook at a school cafeteria and a local freeway. Malik and her husband were later killed in a shootout with police. They face charges of marriage fraud conspiracy and making false statements under oath. While investigating the terrorist attack, federal agents obtained official records showing that Marquez, a former neighbor of Syed Rizwan Farook’s, is married to Chernykh.
Bristow ordered that Chernykh, who prosecutors allege was most culpable for the sham marriage, be subject to electronic monitoring.
Syed Raheel Farook was arrested in a sting that also involved his Russian bride and sister-in-law. The older sibling was the extrovert of the two, friends say, loud and sociable compared with his brother.
Syed Raheel Farook, 31, the brother of Syed Rizwan Farook, was arrested along with his wife and her sister after a federal grand jury indicted the trio in a marriage fraud conspiracy.
Attorneys representing the Farook family didn’t immediately return calls for comment.
Serious questions have arisen concerning the vetting of Malik before she entered the U.S. U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) said in a December statement, “After reviewing Tashfeen Malik’s immigration file, it is clear that immigration officials did not thoroughly vet her application”.
Eimiller says the US attorney’s office is expected to issue a statement.
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Today’s operation is the result of an ongoing investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes partners with HSI, the San Bernardino Police Department, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, the Ontario Police Department, the Riverside Police Department, the Corona Police Department and the Chino Police Department.
