Tatiana Farook, Conspiracy to Commit Immigration Fraud, California …

RIVERSIDE, California — Tatiana Farook, 32, of Corona, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit immigration fraud, a crime unearthed during the federal investigation into the December 2, 2015, San Bernardino mass shooting that left 14 dead. Farook, the sister-in-law of shooter Syed Rizwan Farook, admitted her role in orchestrating a fraudulent marriage designed to illegally secure U.S. residency for a Russian national.

The sham union was between Mariya Chernykh, 26, of Ontario and Enrique Marquez Jr., a U.S. citizen who also faces federal charges for conspiring with Syed Rizwan Farook to plan terrorist attacks in 2011 and 2012. Chernykh pleaded guilty on January 26 to conspiracy, perjury, and making false statements. Tatiana Farook’s husband, Syed Raheel Farook, 31, also entered a guilty plea on January 10 for his participation in the same conspiracy.

Court documents reveal that from late 2014 through February 2016, Tatiana Farook, Raheel Farook, and Chernykh conspired with Marquez to exploit the U.S. immigration system. Chernykh paid Marquez for his role in the scheme, and all three submitted false documents to federal authorities. Chernykh later lied to FBI agents during official interviews, compounding the deception.

Enrique Marquez Jr. is charged in a separate federal indictment not only with immigration fraud but also with providing two firearms to Syed Rizwan Farook in 2011 and 2012—weapons later used in the San Bernardino attack and the subsequent police shootout that killed Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik. Marquez is set to stand trial before U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal on September 26.

“After today’s guilty plea, all but one of the defendants charged as a result of the December 2 San Bernardino terrorist attack have been convicted,” said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “Three members of the shooters’ family now face federal prison. These convictions are a testament to law enforcement’s ongoing commitment to ensure that everyone related to the terrorist attack are brought to justice.”

Joseph Macias, special agent in charge of HSI Los Angeles, emphasized the broader threat: “While this case is drawing to a close, the risk that would-be terrorists and their associates may attempt to exploit America’s legal immigration system as a means to harm Americans remains very real, and we must continue to be ever vigilant.” Tatiana Farook faces up to five years in federal prison and is scheduled for sentencing on November 13.

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