Woman Tied To Terror Shooter Changes Plea In Marriage Case
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com/AP) — A sister-in-law of the couple responsible for the San Bernardino terror attack has changed her plea to guilty in a marriage fraud case.
Tatiana Farook, 32, pleaded guilty Thursday in Riverside to one felony count of conspiracy that included lying to federal agents and in legal documents.
She faces a maximum of five years in prison when she's sentenced Nov. 13.
Her husband, Syed Raheel Farook, is the brother of Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the two shooters in the December 2015 attack that killed 14 people.
The marriage-fraud case involves Tatiana's sister, Mariya Chernykh, a Russian immigrant whose alleged sham marriage to Enrique Marquez Jr., of Riverside, was discovered when her husband became part of the shooting investigation. Chernykh, 26, of Ontario, pleaded guilty on Jan. 26 to charges of conspiracy, perjury and making false statements.
Marquez also faces federal charges in connection with the marriage fraud scheme, as well as plotting with Farook in 2011 and 2012 to carry out attacks in the Inland Empire and supplying the weapons used in the 2015 attack.
He is scheduled to go on trial on Sept. 26.
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