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Russian ‘wife’ of man accused of conspiring with gunman in San Bernardino attack pleads guilty

The Russian wife of Enrique Marquez Jr., the man accused of conspiring with the shooters in the San Bernardino terror attack, pleaded guilty Thursday to entering into a sham marriage with Marquez and lying to the FBI. In a Riverside courtroom, Mariya Chernykh, 26, entered the plea to federal charges of conspiracy and perjury, according […]

The Russian wife of Enrique Marquez Jr., the man accused of conspiring with the shooters in the San Bernardino terror attack, pleaded guilty Thursday to entering into a sham marriage with Marquez and lying to the FBI.

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In a Riverside courtroom, Mariya Chernykh, 26, entered the plea to federal charges of conspiracy and perjury, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.

Appearing before U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal, Chernykh admitted to putting false statements on her immigration paperwork, lying to FBI agents during her interviews, and giving Marquez regular payments for his continued involvement in the sham marriage.

Bernal could impose up to 20 years in prison and a $1-million fine at Chernykh’s sentencing, scheduled for Nov. 20.

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Chernykh was charged last year along with her sister, Tatiana Farook, and her brother-in-law, Syed Raheel Farook, whose younger brother was one of the two terrorists responsible for the Dec. 2, 2015, rampage in San Bernardino that left 14 dead.

Marquez, a former neighbor of the Farook family, was charged with buying weapons used by Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, in the attack.

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Read the whole story from Los Angeles Times.

The Russian wife of Enrique Marquez Jr., the man accused of conspiring with the shooters in the San Bernardino terror attack, pleaded guilty Thursday to entering into a sham marriage with Marquez and lying to the FBI.

In a Riverside courtroom, Mariya Chernykh, 26, entered the plea to federal charges of conspiracy and perjury, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.

Appearing before U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal, Chernykh admitted to putting false statements on her immigration paperwork, lying to FBI agents during her interviews, and giving Marquez regular payments for his continued involvement in the sham marriage.

Bernal could impose up to 20 years in prison and a $1-million fine at Chernykh’s sentencing, scheduled for Nov. 20.

Chernykh was charged last year along with her sister, Tatiana Farook, and her brother-in-law, Syed Raheel Farook, whose younger brother was one of the two terrorists responsible for the Dec. 2, 2015, rampage in San Bernardino that left 14 dead.

Marquez, a former neighbor of the Farook family, was charged with buying weapons used by Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, in the attack.

 

 

 

Read the whole story from Los Angeles Times.

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