Raheim Hamilton, who co-created and co-operated the dark-web marketplace Empire Market with Thomas Pavey, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison and fined $5 million on October 5, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice said. The DOJ reported that Empire Market facilitated more than four million transactions worth over $430 million between 2018 and 2020. DOJ sentencing announcement, October 7, 2026.
What was Empire Market?
Empire Market was a dark-web marketplace that the DOJ says Hamilton and Pavey co-owned and operated from 2018 to 2020. The site offered controlled substances, stolen or compromised account credentials, stolen personal information, counterfeit currency, and computer-hacking tools. Drug sales were its most prevalent category, according to the DOJ.
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Unlike an ordinary website listed in search engines, users accessed Empire Market using specialized anonymizing software and a .onion address, the DOJ said in its 2024 charging announcement. DOJ charging announcement, June 14, 2024.
What scale did the marketplace reach?
Figures in the DOJ’s 2026 sentencing announcement describe the prosecution’s account of the marketplace, not an independently audited measurement of the wider dark-web economy.
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- Transactions: More than four million, with a total value exceeding $430 million during the site’s 2018–2020 operation.
- Drug sales: Nearly $375 million in net drug sales over the marketplace’s lifespan.
- Drugs sold: The DOJ said sales included approximately at least 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. These are quantities the agency says were sold, not amounts reported as recovered.
The $430 million transaction figure and nearly $375 million in net drug sales are different measures; the DOJ presents the latter as the drug-sales portion of activity on the site. DOJ sentencing announcement, October 7, 2026.
How did Hamilton and Pavey operate it?
Hamilton admitted that he and Pavey designed Empire Market to help users evade law enforcement and launder proceeds, according to the DOJ’s account of his guilty plea. Transactions had to use cryptocurrency. The operators encouraged users to employ tumbling or mixing services and encrypted communications. Those practices were described as part of the operation; the DOJ statements do not establish that they reliably prevented investigators from tracing transactions.
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Hamilton pleaded guilty to a federal drug-conspiracy charge on January 27, 2026. The DOJ said he also agreed to forfeit approximately 1,230 bitcoin and 24.4 Ether, along with other assets. Those quantities are forfeiture terms, not a current dollar valuation. DOJ guilty-plea announcement, January 27, 2026.
What is known about the other seizure and Pavey’s case?
The DOJ’s June 2024 charging announcement reported an investigation-wide cryptocurrency seizure valued at $75 million at the time of seizure. That figure is separate from the bitcoin and Ether included in Hamilton’s agreed forfeitures; the two announcements describe different scopes and events.
Pavey pleaded guilty, according to the DOJ’s October 7, 2026 sentencing announcement, and was scheduled to be sentenced later that month. That announcement does not establish whether the later hearing took place or what sentence, if any, was imposed. DOJ sentencing announcement, October 7, 2026.
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Best Value
- Author: Zahn, Timothy.
- Publisher: Del Rey
- Pages: 416
- Publication Date: 1992
- Edition: Reprint
Rank #4
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