RAHEIM Hamilton, a Virginia man who co-created and operated the dark web marketplace Empire Market, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison and fined $5 million, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release. Hamilton co-owned Empire Market with Thomas Pavey from 2018 to 2020. The DOJ's indictment describes Empire Market as a platform for anonymous trade in illegal goods and services, handling more than four million transactions worth over $430 million.
The site offered a wide range of illicit items, from controlled drugs and counterfeit currency to stolen credentials, personal data and hacking tools, with vendors able to receive reputational ratings to signal concealment quality for shipments.
The investigation and sentencing emphasise that cryptocurrency did not fully shield the operators from law enforcement. During the probe, authorities seized about $75 million in cryptocurrency along with cash and precious metals. Hamilton pleaded guilty earlier in January to U.S. drug conspiracy charges in Chicago, and he has agreed to forfeit several assets including approximately 1,230 bitcoin, 24.4 Ether, and three Virginia properties.
Pavey, 41, of Ormond Beach, Florida, admitted his role in creating and operating Empire Market and agreed to forfeit about 1,584 bitcoin, gold bars, vehicles and Florida real estate; his own sentence was expected to follow later in the month. The investigation involved the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations.