The co-creator of Empire Market, one of the largest dark web marketplaces before its closure, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison. The sentence stems from the platform's role in processing about $430 million in illegal transactions between 2018 and 2020.
Empire Market operated as a hub for illicit goods and services until it was shut down. The lengthy prison term reflects the scale of the operation and the harm tied to the transactions it enabled.
This case demonstrates that the legal consequences for running such marketplaces can extend well beyond the moment of shutdown, as authorities continue to pursue the people behind them.