Empire Market Co-Creator Sentenced to 40 Years, to Forfeit Approximately 1,230 Bitcoin

Raheim Hamilton, a co-creator and operator of the Empire Market dark-web marketplace, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison and fined $5 million after pleading guilty to a federal drug-conspiracy charge.

Hamilton agreed to forfeit approximately 1,230 Bitcoin (BTC), 24.4 Ether (ETH) and three properties in Virginia. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger imposed the sentence Oct. 5 in Chicago.

Hamilton, 30, of Suffolk, Virginia, operated Empire Market with Thomas Pavey from approximately Feb. 1, 2018, through Aug. 22, 2020. All purchases used cryptocurrency, while users were encouraged to rely on mixers and encrypted communications to obscure payments.

Empire Market facilitated more than four million transactions valued at more than $430 million, including nearly $375 million in net drug sales. Vendors could be rated based on how effectively they concealed drugs in packages shipped to customers.

The case involved 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.

The site offered illegal drugs alongside stolen account data, personal information, counterfeit money and hacking tools through a hidden service. Users needed specialized anonymizing software and the marketplace’s “.onion” address to access it.

Hamilton and Pavey required all transactions on the site to use cryptocurrency. The platform’s use of mixing services and encrypted communications was intended to make payments and users harder to trace.

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.