Darknet bitcoin for the state reserve: the US collects, Saxony sold

The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments carry a high degree of risk. Always conduct your own research.A US court has sentenced one of the founders of the darknet marketplace Empire Market to 40 years in prison. He and his partner are handing over 2,814 bitcoin, which can end up in the state bitcoin reserve under Trump's executive order. Saxony went the other way in 2024 with almost 50,000 bitcoin. What separates the two cases, and what it means for the market.A federal judge in Chicago sentenced Raheim Hamilton to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine on Monday, October 5, 2026. Hamilton co-founded the darknet marketplace Empire Market and ran it from 2018 to 2020. Part of his agreement with prosecutors: he hands over around 1,230 bitcoin, 24.4 ether and three properties in Virginia. So says the statement from the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois of October 7. His co-founder Thomas Pavey has agreed to hand over around 1,584 bitcoin, with his sentence due later in October. Together that comes to 2,814 bitcoin, worth around $234 million or 209 million ...