Empire Market sentencing 40 years

The short version

Raheim Hamilton, also known as Sydney and ZeroAngel, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for operating Empire Market.
Empire Market, a major dark web marketplace, processed over 4 million vendor-buyer transactions and facilitated about $430 million in illegal activity between 2018 and 2020.
Drug sales dominated Empire Market’s listings, with tens of thousands of drug listings and hundreds of millions in cryptocurrency transactions.
Law enforcement seized cryptocurrency and assets totaling tens of millions, including bitcoin and ether, tied to the defendants.

Quick read · 1 min

One of the most infamous dark web marketplaces has a new, long-term reminder that illegal online markets don’t stay anonymous forever. Raheim Hamilton, who ran Empire Market, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for helping run a platform that moved about $430 million in illegal transactions from 2018 to 2020.

The market operated on the Tor network and was designed to mimic other dark web sites, with cryptocurrency as the main payment method to keep buyers and sellers hidden. Drug sales dominated Empire Market’s listings and transactions.

Authorities seized cryptocurrency and assets tied to the operation, and Hamilton’s case, along with co-defendant Thomas Pavey, highlights how law enforcement is increasingly targeting operators of large-scale dark web marketplaces. The case may influence future prosecutions and asset forfeitures tied to similar platforms.

The man behind one of the darkest corners of the internet faces a long time behind bars. Raheim Hamilton, who operated Empire Market with the monikers Sydney and ZeroAngel, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for helping run a dark web marketplace that handled roughly 4 million transactions and about $430 million in illegal business between 2018 and 2020.

Empire Market was a hidden service on the Tor network, pitched as a clone of AlphaBay. It offered a venue where vendors and buyers could trade in illegal goods and services using cryptocurrency, with the aim of keeping activities off traditional law enforcement radar. According to authorities, Hamilton helped structure the platform to minimize law enforcement visibility and to launder money through tumbling services and encrypted communications.

Drug sales formed the bulk of the site’s activity. Dozens of thousands of drug listings were present, and investigators say large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin moved through Empire Market. The Department of Justice noted that the market’s design encouraged anonymity and discouraged traceability, which complicated investigations in real time.

Hamilton and a co-defendant, Thomas Pavey, pleaded guilty in separate actions tied to the broader case. Federal prosecutors say the pair oversaw moderators and managed disputes between buyers and vendors, with Hamilton directly handling some cases. Authorities also disclosed that undercover purchases were made as part of the investigation, including methamphetamine and heroin shipments.

Beyond the criminal activity on the platform itself, investigators seized substantial cryptocurrency from the operations. The government said it had already seized about $75 million in cryptocurrency by July 2024, and Hamilton has agreed to forfeit multiple properties and large cryptocurrency holdings. Pavey is set to be sentenced later this month on related charges, including a federal drug conspiracy count.

For everyday readers, this case underscores how illicit dark web markets have drawn intense law enforcement focus. The length of Hamilton’s sentence signals that authorities are pursuing long, hard penalties for operators who enable large-scale illegal drug distribution and other crimes online.

What happens next could influence how investigators pursue similar cases and how courts interpret online marketplaces that operate across borders. Prosecutors and defense teams may appeal, and further asset forfeitures in related cases could unfold as the broader Empire Market investigations conclude.