Raheim Hamilton, a co-creator of the dark web drug marketplace Empire Market, has been sentenced to 40 years in U.S. federal prison and agreed to forfeit 1,230 bitcoin valued at about $101 million. The Virginia man also agreed to surrender ether, properties and other assets tied to the operation, which prosecutors said facilitated more than 4 million transactions between 2018 and 2020.
The case highlights the scale of cryptocurrency activity linked by U.S. prosecutors to online narcotics markets, as well as the government’s use of asset forfeiture to target the financial proceeds of such operations. According to CoinDesk, Hamilton’s sentence was imposed by a federal judge in Chicago on Monday.
Empire Market’s scale and Hamilton’s sentence
Hamilton, 30, is from Suffolk, Virginia. Prosecutors said he helped create and operate Empire Market with Thomas Pavey, a Florida resident who was also involved in running the platform.
Empire Market operated from 2018 through 2020 and required customers to pay with cryptocurrency. During that period, prosecutors said, the platform processed more than 4 million drug transactions. Its total activity exceeded $430 million, including nearly $375 million in drug sales.
The marketplace also offered or facilitated the sale of stolen account credentials, personal data, counterfeit currency and hacking tools, according to prosecutors. The figures describe the value of activity handled through the site rather than a measure of Hamilton’s personal holdings or income.
In addition to the prison term, Hamilton was ordered to pay a $5 million fine. His forfeiture agreement covers 1,230 bitcoin, worth approximately $101 million based on the value cited in the case, along with 24.4 ether valued at about $60,000. He also agreed to forfeit three properties.
Asset forfeiture is a legal process through which authorities take property connected to alleged criminal activity or proceeds. In this case, the bitcoin and other assets form a significant part of the government’s action against the marketplace’s operators.
Pavey’s forfeiture and use of cryptocurrency
Pavey, 41, of Ormond Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty last year to a federal drug-conspiracy charge. He admitted participating in the creation and operation of Empire Market and has already forfeited 1,584 bitcoin.
His surrender of assets also included two boxes containing 25-ounce gold bars, three automobiles and two properties in Florida. Pavey is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
The Justice Department said Empire Market’s operators encouraged customers to use cryptocurrency mixing services. Such services are designed to make it harder to trace the movement of digital assets by pooling and redirecting funds. Prosecutors said the operators used the approach to obscure cryptocurrency flows connected with the marketplace.
The forfeiture figures for Hamilton and Pavey are stated separately. Hamilton agreed to give up 1,230 bitcoin, while Pavey forfeited 1,584 bitcoin last year. The source material does not state that the two amounts were valued at the same price or seized at the same time.
The case also fits into a broader series of U.S. enforcement actions involving dark web marketplaces and cryptocurrency. Ruis-Sian Lin, described as the alleged operator of the Incognito Market narcotics marketplace, received a 30-year federal prison sentence in February.
In a separate action the following month, the U.S. government seized $400 million in cryptocurrency, real estate and cash linked to Helix, a darknet bitcoin mixing service. The Justice Department said Helix had been used by drug traffickers and other criminals to launder at least 354,468 bitcoin, which it valued at $29 billion at the time cited in the source material.
Current crypto market picture
Moneyiar market data at 10:59 a.m. on October 9, 2026, showed bitcoin at $82,501.42, down 0.22% over 24 hours and 4.38% over seven days. The market snapshot does not connect those movements to the Empire Market case.
Other assets in the same Moneyiar data were mixed:
- NEAR Protocol was at $4.7498, down 7.97% in 24 hours and 2.73% over seven days.
- Lighter was at $3.5970, up 0.25% over 24 hours but down 5.44% over seven days.
- Sentient was at $0.023001, down 12.5% over 24 hours and up 8.59% over seven days.
The bitcoin values cited in the criminal case and the live market snapshot serve different purposes. The case figures describe the approximate value of assets subject to forfeiture, while Moneyiar’s data records a market price at a specified time. Cryptocurrency prices can change, so the dollar value of forfeited holdings may vary as the legal process proceeds.
