Raheim Hamilton, the 30-year-old co-founder of darknet marketplace Empire Market, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a drug conspiracy charge. U.S. Dist
Raheim Hamilton, the 30-year-old co-founder of darknet marketplace Empire Market, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a drug conspiracy charge. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger imposed the sentence in Chicago and also fined Hamilton $5 million.
Hamilton partnered with Thomas Pavey in owning and operating Empire Market from 2018 to 2020.After dark web platform AlphaBay was shut down in 2017, Hamilton and Pavey created and began running Empire Market on February 1, 2018.The platform quickly became popular among drug dealers and cybercriminals, allowing them to sell narcotics, stolen account credentials, stolen documents, fake currency, and hacking tools.
All purchases used cryptocurrency, while users were encouraged to rely on mixers and encrypted communications to obscure payments.Hamilton, who operated under the online names "Sydney" and "ZeroAngel", helped establish the marketplace and supervised approximately five moderators while personally handling some disputes.
During that time, the online market facilitated more than four million transactions between vendors and buyers, valued at more than $430 million.Drug sales alone came to about $375 million.The case involved approximately 13,314 grams of fentanyl, 446,683 grams of cocaine, 71,992 grams of methamphetamine, and 103,396 grams of heroin.
Hamilton agreed to forfeit approximately 1,230 $BTC and 24.4 $ETH, as well as three properties in Virginia.In the Empire Market case, investigators seized digital currencies valued at $75 million at the time of seizure, along with cash and precious metals.
The platform abruptly closed in 2020 following repeated distributed denial-of-service attacks accompanied by extortion demands, and its closure prompted allegations of an exit scam because users were unable to withdraw money held in escrow accounts.
Co-founder Pavey previously pleaded guilty and agreed to forfeit approximately 1,584 $BTC, gold bars, three automobiles, and two properties in Florida. His sentencing was scheduled for later in October 2026.
Sources:U.S. Department of Justice: Co-Creator of Dark Web Marketplace Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal PrisonThe Record: Co-creator of Empire Market given 40-year sentence
