A Virginia resident has pleaded guilty in Chicago to a federal drug conspiracy charge for his role in creating and running Empire Market, a major dark web marketplace that operated from 2018 to 2020.
Raheim Hamilton, 30, of Suffolk, Virginia, entered the plea on Monday before U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger in the Northern District of Illinois. The conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and up to life in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for June 17, 2026.
The announcement was made by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office; Mary Johnson, Acting Inspector-in-Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Chicago Division; and Michael Alfonso, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations’ New York Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melody Wells and Ann Marie Ursini are prosecuting the case.
Hamilton co-owned Empire Market with Thomas Pavey of Ormond Beach, Florida. Over its two-year operation, Empire Market enabled more than four million transactions valued at over $430 million between vendors and buyers worldwide. The site offered illegal goods such as controlled substances, stolen account credentials and personal information, counterfeit currency, and hacking tools. Drug sales accounted for nearly $375 million during this period.
According to court documents, Hamilton admitted that he and Pavey designed Empire Market to help users avoid law enforcement detection and launder proceeds from illegal transactions using cryptocurrency only. As part of his plea agreement, Hamilton agreed to forfeit assets including approximately 1,230 bitcoin, 24.4 Ether tokens, and three properties in Virginia.
Pavey pleaded guilty last year to a similar federal drug conspiracy charge related to Empire Market operations and is awaiting sentencing under comparable terms as Hamilton. He also agreed to surrender assets such as about 1,584 bitcoin, gold bars totaling two boxes with 25-ounce bars each, three cars, and two properties in Florida.
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