A Riverside man accused of purchasing semi-automatic rifles for the husband-wife team who killed 14 people in San Bernardino was charged Thursday with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and other felonies that could land him in federal prison for 35 years.
Enrique Marquez Jr., 24, a former neighbor of mass murderer Syed Farook, was arrested Thursday morning after a three-count federal complaint was drawn up alleging the terrorism support count, as well as charges of making false statements in the acquisition of firearms and fraudulent procurement of an immigration visa.
Marquez appeared before Magistrate Sheri Pym at U.S. District Court in downtown Riverside.
The defendant was sequestered to a courtroom reserved exclusively for court personnel, including a number of U.S. Marshals. His appearance was broadcast on closed-circuit television for the benefit of more than two dozen reporters, who were confined to a separate courtroom one floor below. The irregular arrangement stemmed from security concerns and the need to assure sufficient space for all parties seeking to view the hearing, according to court officials.
Pym asked Marquez questions pertaining to the complaint and whether there were any errors concerning his name, address and information contained on his financial affidavit. The defendant, clad in a light-colored shirt and black pants, answered “yes” when asked whether the particulars were in order.
Pym appointed Marquez a public defender and automatically entered a not guilty plea for him, scheduling a bail-setting conference for Monday afternoon. As a formality, she also scheduled a Jan. 4 preliminary hearing. However, that date would only hold if the government fails to obtain an indictment against the defendant, which rarely happens in high-profile cases.
Marquez remains in the custody of U.S. Marshals in San Bernardino.
According to court papers, Marquez and Farook plotted in 2011 to carry out an attack on Riverside Community College and the Riverside (91) Freeway, neither of which went past the planning stage.
Federal authorities allege that in 2011 and 2012, Marquez purchased the two AR-15-style rifles used in the mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center, which the government acknowledges in court documents was an Islamist-motivated act of terrorism.
“Mr. Marquez conspired with Mr. Farook to commit vicious attacks,” U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker said. “Even though these plans (in 2011) were not carried out, Mr. Marquez’s criminal conduct deeply affected San Bernardino County, Southern California and the entire United States when the guns purchased by Marquez were used to kill 14 innocent people and wound (22) others.”
Decker said there’s no evidence Marquez actively participated in the Dec. 2 attack in San Bernardino. But federal prosecutors said that in addition to purchasing the two rifles, Marquez also purchased explosive material that was used to build a pipe bomb found at the IRC immediately after the shootings.
According to prosecutors, Marquez moved to Riverside and met Farook, his next-door neighbor, in 2005. Under Farook’s tutelage, Marquez converted to Islam in 2007, after which he adopted a radical philosophy, and by late 2011, the pair were preparing to perpetrate terrorist attacks, prosecutors said.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Marquez admitted making plans with Farook to carry out an attack at the library or cafeteria of Riverside Community College, where both attended. They allegedly planned to throw pipe bombs into the cafeteria from a second floor, then open fire on people as they tried to flee.
They also schemed to go on a killing spree on the eastbound 91 during afternoon rush-hour, identifying a particular section of roadway that would afford motorists no means of escape. Investigators allege Farook intended to toss pipe bombs onto the road to halt traffic, providing sitting targets, while Marquez watched from a high perch, shooting at first responders as they arrived.
The defendant apparently backed out of the terrorist plots after the arrests in 2012 of four men who were gearing up to join the Taliban in Afghanistan. Two of the four — Ralph Kenneth DeLeon and Sohiel Omar Kabir — were convicted in 2014 of conspiring to kill American troops overseas.
The other two defendants, Miguel Alejandro Santana Vidriales and Arifeen David Gojali, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges. All were sentenced to between 10 and 25 years in federal prison earlier this year by U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips in Riverside.
According to prosecutors, Marquez purchased a Smith and Wesson M&P-15 Sport rifle in November 2011 and a DPMS model AR-15 rifle in February 2012. Those weapons were used in the San Bernardino shooting.
Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 27, were fatally shot in a gun battle with police hours after the Dec. 2 killing spree.
The couple were buried at an undisclosed location in Southern California Wednesday.
Farook brought Malik to the United States in 2014 on a fiance visa. FBI Director James Comey said the couple had been “radicalized” long before the shooting, even prior to being married.
Farook was an employee of the San Bernardino County Public Health Department, and he had attended a department holiday party at the IRC the morning of the shooting, but left and returned to kill.
A Facebook account associated with Malik was used to search for materials related to the ISIS terrorist group, and shortly after the rampage, she posted on Facebook: “We pledge allegiance to Khalifa bu bkr al bhaghdadi al quraishi.” That’s a reference to the leader of Islamic State, authorities said.
The immigration fraud count against Marquez stems from his “sham” marriage to a member of Farook’s extended family, enabling her to obtain U.S. residency, for which Marquez was paid $200 a month, prosecutors said.
Marquez’s wife’s sister is married to Farook’s older brother.
— City News Service
