Raheim Hamilton, co-founder of the dark web marketplace Empire Market, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison and ordered to pay a $5 million penalty for his role in operating the online platform, according to the US Department of Justice. The marketplace facilitated more than four million transactions worth approximately $430 million before shutting down in 2020. It enabled users to buy and sell illegal goods and services anonymously, including controlled substances, stolen personal information, compromised account credentials, counterfeit currency and computer-hacking tools.
Empire Market operated between 2018 and 2020 and attracted a large international user base. At its peak in August 2020, the platform had approximately 1.68 million unique registered users, more than 5,000 vendors and nearly 360,000 buyers, according to the Justice Department. Drug sales accounted for the largest share of its business, generating nearly $375 million over the marketplace's operating period. The platform reportedly hosted more than 166,000 listings for controlled substances alone.
Hamilton, who used the online aliases “Sydney” and “ZeroAngel”, operated the marketplace alongside Thomas Pavey, 41, of Ormond Beach, Florida. Pavey was known online as “Dopenugget”. Prosecutors said the platform was modelled on AlphaBay, another dark web marketplace where Hamilton had sold goods under the username “ZeroAngel” between June 2016 and July 2017. Empire required transactions to be conducted using cryptocurrency, while its operators encouraged users to employ encryption and conceal their financial activity.
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The Justice Department said the marketplace facilitated sales involving substantial quantities of dangerous drugs, including fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. According to its figures, transactions included 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. Empire also provided a vendor-rating system that allowed buyers to assess how effectively sellers concealed drugs during shipping. Court documents further indicated that the operators employed moderators to resolve disputes between buyers and sellers, with Hamilton supervising about five moderators and personally handling some complaints.
Law enforcement officials conducted multiple undercover purchases through Empire between April 2019 and May 2020. Investigators bought at least 143.5 grams of methamphetamine and 105.4 grams of heroin, while authorities also intercepted a package containing 443.5 grams of methamphetamine ordered through the marketplace. When the two men were charged in July 2024, officials said investigators had seized approximately $75 million in cryptocurrency during the investigation. Empire had shut down in 2020 amid repeated distributed denial-of-service attacks and extortion attempts, while reports that users could not withdraw funds held in escrow prompted allegations of an exit scam.
Hamilton agreed to forfeit assets connected to the case, including approximately 1,230 Bitcoin, 24.4 Ether and three properties in Virginia. Pavey, who pleaded guilty in 2025, agreed to surrender approximately 1,584 Bitcoin, two boxes containing 25-ounce gold bars, three vehicles and two properties in Florida. Pavey's sentencing was scheduled to take place before Judge Seeger later in October, according to the supplied report. The proceedings mark a further legal development in the investigation into Empire Market, which generated hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions while facilitating the sale of illegal goods and services.
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