Two men have been charged in Chicago federal court with operating “Empire Market,” a dark web marketplace that handled over $430 million in illegal transactions between February 2018 and August 2020.
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Empire Market was a popular dark web marketplace, selling illegal drugs, substances, jewelry, credit card numbers, counterfeit money accounts, malware and other illicit goods, offering payment options including Monero, Litecoin , and Bitcoin.
The market abruptly shut down in 2020 amid persistent extortion-based DDoS waves, without giving its users time to make withdrawals from their account escrow, prompting allegations of exit fraud.
Charges against operators
According to the indictment released by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) late last week, Thomas Pavey (aka “Dopenugget”) and Raheim Hamilton (aka “Sydney” and “Zero Angel”) were previously involved in selling counterfeit US currency on AlphaBay before Empire Market was launched.
Through Empire, the two facilitated over 4 million transactions worth over $430 million, allowing thousands of users to sell and buy stolen items, credit cards, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, LSD, and more.
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The transactions involved cryptocurrencies in conjunction with bearish services to obscure the source and destination and evade law enforcement.
Pavey and Hamilton held portions of the Empire Market's cryptocurrency trades and used the funds to pay the market's team of moderators.
The two operators of Empire Market now face charges for five categories, which are summarized as follows:
Conspiracy to sell counterfeit U.S. currency on AlphaBay.
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances through Empire Market.
Conspiracy to possess unauthorized access devices.
Conspiracy to sell counterfeit currency on Empire Market.
Conspiracy to launder money to conceal proceeds of crime.
Given the nature and number of charges, if convicted on all counts, Pavey and Hamilton could face life in prison, particularly due to the drug trafficking charges, which have a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.
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The Dark Web is a part of the internet that is not accessible through regular search engines like Google. Instead, it requires the use of special software like Tor to remain anonymous and secure. The Dark Web is often used for anonymous communications and transactions, but it is also known for illegal activity, such as the sale of drugs, weapons, and stolen data through illegal marketplaces like Empire Market. Despite the risks it poses, the Dark Web also offers a haven for journalists, activists, and those wishing to remain anonymous in oppressive regimes.
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Source: bleepingcomputer
