CHICAGO — The federal courthouse in Chicago is buzzing with the news of a massive cybercriminal operation. Two men have been charged with operating ‘Empire Market,’ a dark web marketplace that facilitated over $430 million in illegal transactions.
THOMAS PAVEY, alias ‘Dopenugget’ (38, Ormond Beach, Fla.) and RAHEIM HAMILTON, also known as ‘Sydney’ and ‘Zero Angel’ (28, Suffolk, Va.), are accused of running the illicit enterprise from 2018 to 2020. Their alleged scheme included drug trafficking, computer fraud, access device fraud, counterfeiting, and money laundering.
The superseding indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago reveals that Pavey and Hamilton orchestrated approximately four million transactions during their reign. The duo is now staring down the barrel of life sentences if convicted.
Both suspects are currently in federal custody, with arraignments yet to be scheduled. The charges were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and top officials from the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Pavey and Hamilton’s alleged past includes advertising counterfeit U.S. currency on AlphaBay, a now-defunct dark web marketplace. They launched Empire Market in February 2018, using anonymizing software to connect buyers and sellers of illegal goods and services like heroin, meth, cocaine, LSD, and stolen credit card data.
During the investigation, federal law enforcement seized $75 million in cryptocurrency, along with cash and precious metals. The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt; Pavey and Hamilton are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Cybercrime|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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