3 coected to San Bernardino terror shooter arrested

The brother and sister-in-law of San Beardino terror attack shooter Syed Rizwan Farook and the wife of Farook’s friend Enrique Marquez were arrested Thursday moing after federal agents served warrants at their homes, officials said.

Syed Raheel Farook, 31, of Corona, who is the shooter’s brother, and Tatiana Farook, the shooter’s sister-in-law, were arrested at their home in the 1700 block of Forum Way in Corona. Also arrested Thursday moing was Mariya Cheykh, 26, at her Ontario home in the 2900 block of Plum Drive, according to reports. Cheykh is married to Enrique Marquez Jr., who was indicted on Dec. 30 and is currently awaiting trial on charges of conspiring with Syed Rizwan Farook in 2011 and 2012 to provide material support to terrorists.

The indictment charges all three with immigration fraud, according to a statement from the U.S. Attoey’s Office. This charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

The indictment also charges Cheykh with fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents, perjury and two counts of making material false statements to federal agents, according to the statement.

These four charges carry a combined statutory maximum sentence of 25 years in federal prison.

Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tafsheen Malik, killed 14 people and wounded 22 others on Dec. 2, 2015 at the Inland Regional Center during a company Christmas party.

“This is the latest step in the comprehensive investigation into the horrific attacks in San Beardino last year that took the lives of 14 iocent Americans and deeply affected so many more,” said United States Attoey Eileen M. Decker in a statement. “As I have said previously, we owe the victims, and the entire community of San Beardino, a thorough investigation that uncovers all criminal activity surrounding these events. Today’s arrests open a new phase in the process of bringing to justice all individuals who allegedly committed crimes that were uncovered during our exhaustive investigation.”

When Marquez was indicted by a federal grand jury at the end of 2015 with conspiring with Syed Rizwan Farook to provide material support to terrorists, he was also charged with entering into a sham marriage with Cheykh in November 2014 and illegally signing an immigration form that falsely declared he was living with her.

The case against Cheykh and the Farooks stems from the investigation into the IRC terrorist attack, officials said. While investigating the terrorist attack, federal agents obtained official records showing that Marquez, a former neighbor of Syed Rizwan Farook’s, is married to Cheykh. The investigation determined that Marquez agreed to marry Cheykh so she could obtain immigration benefits that were not available to her because she is a Russian citizen and did not have legal status in the United States, authorities said. The indictment alleges that Marquez received money from Cheykh to enter into the sham marriage.

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The day before the San Beardino terrorist attack, Tatiana Farook accompanied Marquez and Cheykh to purchase a wedding ring for $50 in Riverside, according to the indictment.

Federal officials allege both Marquez and Cheykh signed immigration documents, under penalty of perjury, that included information that they lived at the same address, when they did not.

All three defendants are expected to be arraigned on the indictment Thursday afteoon in United States District Court in Riverside.

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More to come