Empire Market co-creator gets 40 years, forfeits $101M in bitcoin

Raheim Hamilton, a 30-year-old co-creator of the dark web drug marketplace Empire Market, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison and agreed to forfeit 1,230 BTC (~$101 million), 24.4 ether and three properties. A federal judge in Chicago also imposed a $5 million fine.

• Empire Market facilitated more than 4 million drug transactions worth upwards of $430 million from 2018 to 2020, with drug sales accounting for nearly $375 million of that activity; the site also sold stolen credentials, personal data, counterfeit currency and hacking tools.
• Co-conspirator Thomas Pavey, 41, pleaded guilty to federal drug conspiracy and forfeited 1,584 BTC plus gold bars, vehicles and two Florida properties; his sentencing is expected later this month.
• Operators required customers to pay in cryptocurrency and encouraged mixing services to obscure fund movements.

The sentence adds to a string of darknet marketplace cases: Incognito Market's alleged operator received 30 years in February, and U.S. authorities seized $400 million tied to the Helix mixing service in January.