Overview
- Raheim Hamilton was handed a 40-year federal prison term after pleading guilty to operating Empire Market, a Tor-based dark‑web marketplace.
- Hamilton agreed to forfeit about 1,230 bitcoin, 24.4 ether and three Virginia properties while prosecutors previously seized roughly $75 million in cryptocurrency during the investigation.
- Government filings say Empire processed more than 4 million transactions worth about $430 million from 2017 to 2020, with nearly $375 million in drug sales that included measured amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin.
- Investigators built the case with undercover purchases, intercepted packages and blockchain tracing to identify vendors, link shipments to real-world addresses and recover illicit funds.
- Co-defendant Thomas Pavey pleaded guilty, agreed to forfeit about 1,584 bitcoin and Florida property, and is due to be sentenced later this month which could return more proceeds and affect other marketplace participants.