San Bernardino weapon supplier linked through marriage; could face charges

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Enrique Marquez, longtime friend of San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook, allegedly has ties to the attackers by marriage and will likely face criminal charges.

Investigators say Marquez, 24, bought two of the four weapons Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, used to kill 14 people in the Dec. 2 California massacre. He allegedly bought the weapons for Farook because Farook did not want to be on a gun registry.

Marquez is reportedly married to Mariya Chernykh, the sister of Tatiana Chernykh, who happens to be the wife of Farook's brother, Syed Raheel Farook. Marquez reportedly converted to Islam and made infrequent appearances at local mosques.

ABC News reported that although it is unclear how Marquez and his wife Chernykh met, Syed Raheel Farook stepped in during her citizenship application process to vouch for Marquez by saying Marquez had the financial means to support his new wife.

But other than the marriage certificate Marquez and Chernykh signed in late November 2014, there is little evidence they lived as a real married couple.

In public records, Chernykh shared an address not with Marquez, but with another man, Oscar Romero. On social media, Chernykh and Romero would frequently post images of themselves along with a baby girl, who they would refer to as their daughter.

Chernykh changed her name to Maria Romero on some social media sites two months before her marriage to Marquez and she kept using the name after the marriage. Romero referred to Chernykh as his wife on another social media account.

Marquez could face state charges under California's strict gun laws and a possible federal charge of providing material support to a terrorist, the New York Daily News reported. A licensed dealer is required for any firearm transfer and authorities have found no documents showing Marquez legally passed on the weapons -- a .223-caliber DPMS model AR-15 and a Smith & Wesson M&P15 -- to Farook and Malik.

Authorities also said Farook and Malik had been practicing their shooting skills at a local gun range for more than a year before the attack at a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center. Officials said Farook and Marquez had planned an earlier attack but "got spooked" and backed out after unrelated terror arrests in the area.