According to TechFlow, federal prosecutors in Illinois charged two men, Thomas Pavey (38) and Raheim Hamilton (28), with operating the dark web market Empire Market between 2018 and 2020.
During that time, the market processed $430 million in anonymous illegal transactions, including drugs and stolen credit card information, all conducted via cryptocurrency. Empire Market shut down in August 2020.
The new charges include conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, computer fraud, equipment fraud, forgery and money laundering, and both carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. Law enforcement seized $75 million worth of cryptocurrency and an unspecified amount of cash and precious metals.
