The brother of the San Bernardino gunman, along with two other relatives, was arrested Thursday following the fatal terror shootout investigation. The three suspects face federal charges which include federal conspiracy and marriage fraud.
According to KTLA5 News, federal authorities arrested, Syed Raheel Farook, the brother of Syed Rizwan Farook, his wife, Tatiana Farook, and her sister Mariya Chernykh, who were all charged for marriage fraud conspiracy. Chernykh allegedly married Enriquez Marquez Jr. in order to avail immigration benefits. Marquez awaits to stand trial over his role of providing guns for the shootout in December 2nd at the Inland Regional Center.
The three all pleaded not guilty at a Riverside federal court on Thursday. The Farooks posted bond with the help of Syed Raheel's mother and were later released. Chernykh's bond was set at $50,000; however, she will still remain in custody because of her immigration issues.
Federal authorities also ordered them to surrender their travel documents, and barred them from traveling outside Southern California, Los Angeles Times reported. The lawyer representing Syed Raheel Farook spoke to the reporters after the trial. "This is a family that has suffered much, particularly by reason of the horrible, horrible acts of a family member who is no longer living. But those acts should not be attributed to the family," he stated.
All three face five years of prison sentence if found guilty to marriage fraud annd conspiracy charges. While Chernykh also face an additional 25 years of prison sentence. The three arrests were not directly related to last December's terror attack.
According to the Atlantic, the two women were Russian immigrants while Syed Raheel was a US Navy veteran. FBI conducted a search on his home and confiscated some of his things including his computer.
In the recent months, the FBI has been tracking people who could be involved with the San Bernardino shooting, led by Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik. The couple killed 14 people and wounded 21 on a shootout in a conference room in San Bernardino. They were then killed by the US authorities. The investigation led federal agents to try to gain access to an iPhone 5c used by Farook, nearly touching off a historic court battle with Apple Inc.
