Brother Of San Bernardino Shooter Among 3 Arrested By FBI

Syed Raheel Farook and Tatiana Farook, who like her sister is originally from Russia, staged photos of Marquez and Chernykh to make them look like a married couple and created a joint bank account for the two, according to the charging documents. The Farooks were arrested at their home in Corona while Chernykh was arrested in Ontario.

"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," U.S. Attorney Eileen Decker said in a statement.

Marquez was charged on Dec. 18 with conspiring with Syed Rizwan Farook in 2011 and 2012 to support a militant attack in Southern California that was never carried out. He has pleaded not guilty.

Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife died in a shootout with police hours after the Dec. 2 SanBernardino attack.

The alleged sham marriage first surfaced in December, when Marquez also was charged with defrauding immigration authorities.

Syed Raheel Farook and Tatiana Farook, who are both U.S. citizens, if convicted of conspiracy each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison, while Chernykh if convicted of all charges faces up to 25 years, prosecutors said. They are scheduled to appear in court on Thursday afternoon.

Under U.S. law, Chernykh could also be deported to Russia if convicted.