Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Raheim Hamilton, the dark web overlord who co-founded the cybercrime market Empire, has received a jail sentence of 40 years, along with a $5 million. Hamilton operated Empire on the dark web. As per the US Attorney’s Office, the Empire recorded over four million transactions worth $430 million before it shut down in 2020.
Empire Market allowed users to anonymously buy and sell illegal goods and services. According to a press release shared by the US Attorney’s office, the products on Empire included controlled substances, compromised or stolen account credentials, stolen personally identifying information, counterfeit currency, and computer-hacking tools. The site operated from 2018 to 2020.
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Hamilton was known online as “Sydney” and “ZeroAngel.” Prosecutors said Hamilton ran the marketplace with co-defendant Thomas Pavey, 41, of Ormond Beach, Florida, who was known online as “Dopenugget.”
Empire Market had over 1.6 million users
A dark web marketplace like Empire cannot be accessed by a standard internet browser like Chrome or Safari. Instead, users need to use The Onion Router, or TOR, to access such websites. As per the release, Empire Market was modelled and advertised as an AlphaBay clone. Between June 2016 and July 2017, Hamilton also sold on AlphaBay under the “ZeroAngel” username.
Empire Market shut down abruptly in 2020 amid persistent extortion-based DDoS waves, prompting exit-scam claims after users were not given time to withdraw funds from their escrow accounts.
According to the release, drug sales were the most prevalent activity on Empire, totalling nearly $375 million over the life of the site, with more than 166,000 listings for controlled substances alone. At its peak in August 2020, the marketplace had roughly 1.68 million unique registered users, including more than 5,000 vendors and nearly 360,000 buyers.
“The controlled substances sold on the market included approximately at least 13,314.23 grams of fentanyl, 446,683.15 grams of cocaine, 71,992.33 grams of methamphetamine, and 103,396.21 grams of heroin,” the US Department of Justice said. “Hamilton and Pavey established that all transactions on the site must be conducted using only cryptocurrency.”
As per the DOJ, the two also encouraged users to conceal cryptocurrency transactions and utilize encryption while communicating on the site. Empire also gave users the ability to rate vendors based on how well they “concealed the drugs they shipped.” According to court documents, Hamilton and Pavey also hired moderators to resolve disputes between customers and vendors, with Hamilton supervising about five moderators and personally handling some cases.
Law enforcement agents made multiple undercover purchases between April 2019 and May 2020, buying at least 143.5 grams of methamphetamine and 105.4 grams of heroin, and intercepted a package containing 443.5 grams of methamphetamine ordered on Empire Market. When the Justice Department charged the two men in July 2024, authorities said they had already seized $75 million worth of cryptocurrency during the investigation.
Hamilton agreed to forfeit certain proceeds, including about 1,230 Bitcoin (roughly $100 million, 24.4 Ether (roughly $60,000) and three properties in Virginia. Pavey, who pleaded guilty last year, agreed to forfeit about 1,584 bitcoin (roughly $130 million), two boxes containing 25-ounce gold bars, three automobiles and two properties in Florida. He is due to be sentenced before Judge Seeger later this month.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
