San Bernardino gunman's brother, 2 others arrested

ByLeticia Juarez and ABC7.com staff KABC logo
Friday, April 29, 2016
Syed Raheel Farook, Tatiana Farook and Mariya Chernykh are shown in court during their arraignment on Thursday, April 28, 2016.
Syed Raheel Farook, Tatiana Farook and Mariya Chernykh are shown in court during their arraignment on Thursday, April 28, 2016.
KABC

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- San Bernardino mass shooting gunman Syed Farook's brother and two others were arrested on charges stemming from allegations of marriage fraud conspiracy, authorities said.

In addition to Syed Rizwan Farook's brother, Syed Raheel Farook, the two others arrested were Mariya Chernykh, 26, and Tatiana Farook, 31.

The charges against them include federal conspiracy, marriage fraud and making false statements, according to the Justice Department.

A federal grand jury in the Central District of California Wednesday issued a five-count indictment against the three individuals.

Chernykh is married to Enrique Marquez, who is awaiting trial on charges of conspiring with his former neighbor and friend Syed Rizwan Farook. Marquez is accused of giving Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik weapons used in the San Bernardino attack.

MORE: Transcript of 911 call from Enrique Marquez released

Marquez has already admitted he was paid to enter into what officials called a "sham marriage" with Chernykh so she can remain in the U.S.

If convicted of the charges against her, Chernykh could face up to 25 years in prison.

Tatiana Farook is Chernykh's sister-in-law.

Syed Raheel Farook and Tatiana Farook are accused of taking part in the conspiracy after witnessing the sham wedding, taking staged family pictures with the couple and then furthering the lie in other ways.

The three defendants were arraigned at 2 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge David T. Bristow. They each pleaded not guilty and face up to five years in prison if convicted.

During the arraignment, their bails were set at $50,000 for Chernykh, $35,000 for Farook and $25,000 for Raheel Farook.

MORE: San Bernardino shooter's iPhone showed no contact with ISIS after killings

The FBI served search warrants Thursday morning at Syed Raheel Farook's home in Corona as well as several other locations.

In February, FBI agents served a search warrant at the same home in Corona.

Syed Rizwan Farook and Malik opened fire at an annual training of Farook's San Bernardino County co-workers. The 14 people killed and 22 wounded were mainly his colleagues.

The Dec. 2 shootings carried out by Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were the deadliest terror strike on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001.

Farook's brother, Syed Raheel Farook, was in the Navy from 2003 to 2007, military records show. During his stint, he received the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among other awards.

After going through training in the family's native Illinois, Syed Raheel Farook served for three years aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise as an information system technician.

Attorneys representing the Farook family didn't immediately return calls for comment.

ABC News and Associated Press contributed to this report.

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