#Co-Creator of Dark Web Marketplace Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Conspiracy Charge

A co-creator of a prominent Dark Web marketplace has pleaded guilty to a federal drug conspiracy charge in Chicago.

#Details of the Case

Raheim Hamilton, 30, of Suffolk, Virginia, entered a guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on January 27. He was a co-owner of Empire Market, a Dark Web platform that operated from 2018 to 2020 and facilitated over 4 million transactions valued at more than $430 million.

#Illicit Activities on Empire Market

The platform offered a range of illicit products and services, including:

• Controlled substances
• Compromised or stolen account credentials
• Stolen personally identifying information
• Counterfeit currency
• Computer-hacking tools

#Extent of Illicit Sales

The majority of sales on the site were for controlled substances, with total net drug sales reaching nearly $375 million.

#Plea Agreement and Sentencing

As part of his plea agreement, Hamilton forfeited 1230 bitcoin, worth approximately $110 million at current prices. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum of life.

#Previous Guilty Plea

This guilty plea follows that of Empire Market's other co-owner, Thomas Pavey, who pleaded guilty to federal drug conspiracy charges last year for his role in the platform's operations.