The co-creator of a marketplace on the Dark Web has pleaded guilty in Chicago to a federal drug conspiracy charge.
The U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Illinois announced on Jan. 27 that 30-year-old Raheim Hamilton of Suffolk, VA, entered a guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He faces a mandatory minimum of ten years in federal prison and a maximum of life.
Hamilton was a co-owner of the platform called Empire Market from 2018 to 2020. During that time, the platform facilitated more than four million transactions between vendors and buyers that are valued at more than $430 million.
“The illegal products and services available on the site included controlled substances, compromised or stolen account credentials, stolen personally identifying information, counterfeit currency, and computer-hacking tools,” the website reads. “Sales of controlled substances were the most prevalent activity, with net drug sales totaling nearly $375 million over the life of the site.”
As part of Hamilton’s plea agreement, he forfeited items, including 1230 bitcoin. Based on today’s current price, that’s nearly $110 million worth of cryptocurrency.
Empire Marketplace’s other co-owner, Thomas Pavey, pleaded guilty last year to federal drug conspiracy and his role in Empire Market’s operations.
