Federal Prosecutors Charge Two Men for Running Darknet Marketplace Empire Market
Two individuals have been charged by federal prosecutors in Illinois for owning and running Empire Market, a notorious darknet marketplace.
According to court documents filed on Friday, Thomas Pavey, 38, from Florida, and Raheim Hamilton, 28, from Virginia, allegedly operated Empire Market from 2018 to 2020.
Prosecutors claim that during this period, the marketplace facilitated transactions worth $430 million, enabling users to anonymously purchase illegal goods and services.
Empire Market, which operated as a platform for the sale of drugs and stolen credit card information, exclusively accepted cryptocurrency as payment.
However, the marketplace ceased its operations in August 2020.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) released a statement on Thursday highlighting the illicit activities conducted on Empire Market.
Pavey and Hamilton were already in custody facing separate charges related to selling counterfeit currency on AlphaBay, another darknet market that was shut down in 2017.
The recent charges against them include conspiracy to engage in drug trafficking, computer fraud, access device fraud, counterfeiting, and money laundering.
“The indictment charges Pavey and Hamilton with conspiring with each other and others to engage in drug trafficking, computer fraud, access device fraud, counterfeiting, and money laundering,” the DOJ filing said.
“The charges in the superseding indictment are punishable by a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.”
If convicted, both men could face a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to the DOJ.
During the investigation, law enforcement authorities seized $75 million in cryptocurrency, along with undisclosed amounts of cash and precious metals, as mentioned in the press release.
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