Dark web drug market operator sentenced to 40 years, forfeits $101 million in bitcoin
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Raheim Hamilton was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison and agreed to forfeit 1,230 bitcoin tied to his role as a co-creator of Empire Market. Thomas Pavey agreed to forfeit 1,584 bitcoin, and his sentencing is set for later this month. The case concerns a dark web drug marketplace that handled roughly $430 million in transactions, and one account says Hamilton also agreed to give up about $100 million worth of BTC.
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What it means
Users and market participants who follow dark web enforcement will see that one co-creator of Empire Market has already been sentenced, while another remains pending sentencing later this month. The case also includes bitcoin forfeiture tied to both men, which makes the criminal and asset-seizure sides of the matter visible at the same time.
What changes in practice is that Hamilton’s sentencing is no longer open, while Pavey’s is still ahead; that means one part of the case has moved to punishment and forfeiture, and one part has not. The underlying details of the marketplace itself stay the same here: Empire Market is identified as a dark web drug platform tied to millions of transactions.
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