Empire Market Admins Charged with Running $430 Million Dark Web Site

Two men have been charged in Chicago with operating “Empire Market,” a dark web marketplace responsible for over $430 million in illegal transactions worldwide. Thomas Pavey, also known as “Dopenugget,” and Raheim Hamilton, also known as “Sydney” and “Zero Angel,” facilitated the sale of illicit goods and services on the platform between 2018 and 2020.

The charges, announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois, allege that Pavey, 38, of Ormond Beach, Florida, and Hamilton, 28, of Suffolk, Virginia, conspired to engage in drug trafficking, computer fraud, access device fraud, counterfeiting, and money laundering. The indictment, returned on June 13, 2024, includes potential sentences of life imprisonment.

Empire Market bust

Pavey and Hamilton, currently in custody, operated Empire Market using the anonymizing Tor network, accessible only through “.onion” addresses. The platform allowed thousands of vendors to sell a range of illicit items, including narcotics, counterfeit currency, and stolen credit card data. Notably, users transacted in cryptocurrency, concealing their identities and the nature of their dealings.

Before founding Empire Market, Pavey and Hamilton were active on AlphaBay, a similar dark web marketplace dismantled in 2017. On AlphaBay, they advertised and sold counterfeit U.S. currency. After its closure, they launched Empire Market on February 1, 2018, using the same tactics and expanding their operations significantly.

Empire Market quickly became one of the largest dark web marketplaces, with an estimated four million transactions during its two-and-a-half years of operation. The platform's structure enabled vendors to list products under various categories such as “Fraud,” “Drugs & Chemicals,” and “Counterfeit Items.” Customers could rate and review vendors, enhancing the marketplace's credibility within the dark web community.

The law enforcement agencies participating in the operation seized approximately $75 million in cryptocurrency, along with cash and precious metals, from Pavey and Hamilton. This operation involved multiple agencies, including the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations, highlighting the extensive coordination required to dismantle such a sophisticated operation.

Pavey and Hamilton are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Their arraignment dates in federal court in Chicago are pending.