Two men were charged in federal court Friday with the operation of “Empire Market” a marketplace on the dark web that allowed users to buy and sell illegal goods and services anonymously.According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois, Thomas Pavey, also known as “Dopenugget,” and Raheim Hamilton, also known as “Sydney” and “Zero Angel,” owned and operated the market from 2018 to 2020. Under their ownership, the market was reportedly responsible for more than four million transactions that the country has valued at more than $430 million.As part of the investigation, prosecutors say that more than $75 million worth of cryptocurrency, cash, and precious metals were seized from the men.Pavey and Hamilton are being charged with conspiring with each other and others to engage in drug trafficking, computer fraud, access device fraud, counterfeiting, and money laundering. The duo faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.Empire Market reportedly sold controlled substances including heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and LSD, as well as counterfeit currency and stolen credit card information.
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Empire Market wasn’t the two’s first foray into illegal online activities. The two also reportedly worked together to both advertise and sell counterfeit US currency on the dark web marketplace AlphaBay, which was shut down in 2017.
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