Tashfeen Malik (L) and Syed Farook killed 14 people and injured 17 others during a rampage at a holiday party in San Bernardino, Calif., on Dec. 2, 2015. Farook's brother, his brother's wife and the wife of his friend Enrique Marquez were arrested on Thursday. File Photo courtesy San Bernardino Police Department
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., April 28 (UPI) -- The brother of accused San Bernardino, Calif., massacre gunman Syed Rizwan Farook and two others were arrested on Thursday on charges of marriage fraud conspiracy and lying to federal agents.
The Los Angeles Times reported Syed Raheel Farook, Mariya Chernykh and Tatiana Farook were charged in a five-count indictment related to the alleged fraudulent marriage between Chernykh and Enrique Marquez. Marquez, a friend of Syed Rizwan Farook, was charged in December with conspiracy for allegedly acquiring and selling two rifles that police say were used in the Southern California rampage that killed 14.
Marquez is married to Chernykh, the sister of Tatiana Farook, who is married to Syed Raheel Farook, the accused shooter's brother. Although it is unclear how Marquez and his wife met, Syed Raheel Farook stepped in during the woman's 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. Oscar Romero referred to Chernykh as his wife on another social media account.
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.
