The Scanner: Nurse accused of running darknet pill mill; Berkeley mayor granted restraining order

In a case that offers a window into the spread of addictive painkillers, a Sacramento County nurse was indicted by a federal grand jury last week after prosecutors said she sold more than 20,000 prescription opioid pills — including powerful and deadly fentanyl — on the dark web.

Carrie Markis, 42, of Rancho Cordova allegedly purchased legitimate prescriptions from willing sellers and then resold the pills and patches through her home business, Farmacy41.

U.S. prosecutors said Markis worked with a middlewoman, 52-year-old Elk Grove resident Andrea Jordan, who bought prescriptions from local sellers and provided them to Markis. Jordan was arrested Thursday after being indicted.

Markis peddled the drugs through several darknet sites from 2013 to 2016, including Silk Road 2.0, Pandora and AlphaBay, according to investigators.

The darknet generally refers to an area of the internet that can be accessed only with special software, and it is known to proffer black market and illegal goods. During her stints on each site, Markis allegedly sold thousands of pills and netted bitcoin earnings worth between $74,000 and $230,000.

A January search of Markis’ residence revealed about $1.8 million in bitcoin stored on a cryptocurrency wallet and $234,000 in cash, authorities said. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

The case was part of a joint federal investigation into illegal darknet transactions by the U.S. attorney’s office, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

To date, the operation has resulted in 14 arrests and four indictments, according to federal prosecutors in Sacramento. They also announced an indictment last week against three people in Chandler, Ariz., accused of distributing heroin and methamphetamine on the darknet.

“If you choose to engage in criminal transactions on the darknet, you will have federal law enforcement from every district and state across the nation pursuing you,” U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott said in a statement. “There is no hiding, no safety, and no anonymity in the darknet.”

It’s unclear who is representing Markis. A request for comment from the federal public defender’s office in Sacramento was not immediately returned.

Berkeley mayor granted protection

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín has been granted a temporary restraining order against a four-time mayoral candidate who allegedly threatened online to “break every bone” in the mayor’s body.

The order, issued Tuesday by an Alameda County Superior Court judge, requires longtime Berkeley activist Zachary RunningWolf to stay 100 yards away from Arreguín and his adviser, Jacquelyn McCormick.

In posts on Twitter, RunningWolf referred to the mayor as “Jesse Soon to Be Beaten to Death Arreguín” and claimed that he, not Arreguín, was the “elected mayor,” according to court documents.

“I am getting ready, going to get my bat out to break every bone in his fat, disgusting body,” RunningWolf tweeted in February, according to a petition filed by Arreguín requesting that a restraining order be issued.

In the 2016 mayoral election, Arreguín received 29,039 votes and RunningWolf got 1,621.

“Mr. RunningWolf’s behavior has escalated from personal and profane attacks about the 2016 election results to repeated threats of violence against me, including death threats in the past several weeks,” Arreguín said in court documents. “I feel that I must take this step to protect my safety and the safety of my staff. … I do not believe these are empty threats.”

RunningWolf is best known for leading a 21-month-long “tree sit” from 2006 to 2008 in protest of the planned cutting of a grove of trees for the construction of an athletic center on the UC Berkeley campus.

Arreguín said he had no comment on the order. A member of his staff, who asked not to be identified, said that no additional security measures are being taken in light of the order, but that the mayor’s staff felt strained after alleged threats.

RunningWolf could not be reached for comment. Under the terms of the restraining order, he still will be allowed to attend and speak at public meetings.

Vehicle slams into 3 sheriff’s deputies

Three Bay Area sheriff’s deputies — including two from the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department — were injured when a drunken driver struck them as they crossed a street Monday, April 1 in Roseville (Placer County), officials said.

The three deputies were in Roseville for law enforcement training, said Roseville police spokesman Rob Baquera.

One deputy is with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, the others, Sgt. Daniel Wilson and Deputy Juan Ramirez, are from San Francisco.

Wilson was treated and released from a hospital. Ramirez underwent surgery Tuesday morning and is expected to recover from his injuries, sheriff’s officials said.

“We are grateful to the Roseville Police Department for their quick response to the accident and to the Placer County Sheriff’s Department for providing support,” San Francisco Sheriff Vicki Hennessy said in an email. “We feel very fortunate that our two staff are recovering, along with the Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputy.”

Police said the crash occurred around 1 p.m., when Rocklin resident Clyde Gray, 68, drove through a red light at Roseville Parkway and Taylor Road and struck the deputies before hitting two vehicles.

Gray was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence, Baquera said. He had two outstanding warrants for the same offense. He was held in Placer County Jail without bail.

The occupants in the other vehicles were treated for minor injuries.

Biggest crime news of the past week

• A man accused of slashing another man with a sword after having his “Make America Great Again” hat knocked off his head last weekend in San Francisco appeared in court on an attempted nurder charge.

• Defense attorneys in the long-anticipated Ghost Ship trial came out swinging by accusing Oakland officials of scapegoating their clients in a “cover-up” about what really caused the fire that killed 36 people.

• A Walnut Creek police officer mishandled evidence in dozens of cases and still managed to keep his job, according to personnel records released under a new state law.

• A case of mistaken identity had no bearing on the Santa Clara County district attorney’s decision to clear four officers in the fatal Christmas Day shooting of Jennifer Vazquez.

• A Cal Fire station in Napa County went up in flames and officials are calling the damage “a total loss.”