Two Men Charged With Running Darknet Marketplace Empire Market

Thomas Pavey and Raheim Hamilton were previously arrested and charged with selling counterfeit currency on AlphaBay, another darknet marketplace.

Two men have been charged by federal prosecutors in Illinois with owning and operating the darknet marketplace Empire Market, according to court documents filed Friday.

Prosecutors allege that Thomas Pavey, 38, of Florida, and Raheim Hamilton, 28, of Virginia, owned and operated Empire Market from 2018 to 2020. During that time, prosecutors say the pair processed $430 million in transactions on the site, which enabled users to anonymously purchase illicit goods and services.

Empire Market was used to sell items such as drugs and stolen credit card information, and all transactions were conducted using cryptocurrency, according to a Thursday press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ). The marketplace shut down in August 2020.

Pavey and Hamilton were already in custody on separate charges – prosecutors had previously charged the pair with allegedly selling counterfeit currency on another darknet market, AlphaBay, which closed in 2017.

The new charges against Pavey and Hamilton include conspiring to engage in drug trafficking, computer fraud, access device fraud, counterfeiting, and money laundering. The DOJ’s press release states that both men face a maximum sentence of life in prison for the charges.

Law enforcement seized $75 million in cryptocurrency during the investigation, along with an unspecified amount of cash and precious metals, the press release said.

Arraignments for Pavey and Hamilton have not yet been scheduled.

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Cheyenne Ligon is a CoinDesk news reporter covering crypto regulation and policy. She has no relevant crypto holdings.

News source：https://www.kdj.com/cryptocurrencies-news/articles/charged-running-darknet-marketplace-empire-market.html

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