A Virginia man who co-created and ran the dark web marketplace Empire Market has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison, with a $5 million fine. Raheim Hamilton, 30, of Suffolk, Virginia, co-owned and operated Empire Market from 2018 to 2020. During that period the site allegedly facilitated more than four million transactions worth in excess of $430 million, offering illegal goods and services such as controlled substances, stolen credentials, illicit data, counterfeit currency, and hacking tools.
The report notes that sales of controlled substances were the most prevalent activity, with net drug sales estimated at nearly $375 million over the life of the site. Specific drugs reportedly included approximately 13,314.23 grams of fentanyl, 446,683.15 grams of cocaine, 71,992.33 grams of methamphetamine, and 103,396.21 grams of heroin.
Hamilton and co-creator Thomas Pavey designed Empire Market to help users avoid law enforcement and launder illicit proceeds, mandating cryptocurrency for all transactions and encouraging tumbling and mixing services to obscure transfers, while promoting encryption for communications on the site. Hamilton pleaded guilty earlier this year to a drug conspiracy charge and agreed to forfeit certain assets, including about 1,230 bitcoin, 24.4 Ether, and three properties in Virginia.
United States District Judge Steven C. Seeger ordered the 40-year sentence and the $5 million fine, marking a high-profile conviction in the operation of a major dark web marketplace.