Co-Creator of Dark Web Marketplace “Empire Market” Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison
Empire Market co-creator Raheim Hamilton was sentenced to 40 years over a $430 million dark-web market.
Raheim Hamilton, 30, of Suffolk, Virginia, was sentenced on October 5 in Chicago to 40 years and a $5 million fine after pleading guilty to a drug conspiracy for co-running Empire Market. From 2018 to 2020 he and Thomas Pavey enabled more than four million transactions worth over $430 million, including nearly $375 million in drug sales and listings for stolen credentials, personal data, counterfeit currency, and hacking tools. Purchases required cryptocurrency, and operators encouraged mixing services. Hamilton agreed to forfeit about 1,230 bitcoin, 24.4 ether, and three Virginia properties; Pavey's sentencing is still pending.
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