The U.S. Department of Justice has unsealed charges against German national Owe Martin Andresen, accusing him of operating a money‑laundering scheme tied to Dream Market — one of the darknet’s largest marketplaces before it shuttered in 2019. U.S. prosecutors say Andresen was the suspected lead administrator of the site and that he was arrested in Germany last week on parallel German charges.
Prosecutors allege that Andresen reactivated dormant Dream Market administrator wallets and moved funds from the platform’s old crypto infrastructure. According to the indictment, transfers that resumed in late 2022 consolidated funds from legacy Dream Market wallets into new addresses — moves the DOJ says “could only have been initiated” by someone with access to the original private keys.
Rather than keeping the proceeds in crypto, U.S. authorities say Andresen converted a portion of the funds into physical gold. In August 2023, prosecutors allege, he used a crypto service provider based in Atlanta to purchase gold bars from international sellers, which were then shipped to his home in Germany. The DOJ contends Andresen laundered more than $2 million between August 2023 and April 2025.
Searches carried out on May 7 reportedly turned up roughly $1.7 million in gold bars, more than $23,000 in cash, and records tied to bank accounts and crypto wallets holding about $1.2 million that U.S. authorities believe are Dream Market proceeds.
A federal grand jury returned a 12‑count indictment charging Andresen with six counts of international concealment money laundering and six counts of concealment money laundering; each U.S. count carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The DOJ emphasized that Andresen is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
This case is the latest in a broader U.S. crackdown on crypto‑linked money laundering. Recent enforcement actions include the forfeiture of more than $400 million in assets tied to Helix, a darknet crypto mixer, and a 70‑month prison sentence for a California man convicted of laundering funds related to a $263 million crypto theft ring.
The indictment and arrest spotlight persistent risks for darknet operators attempting to reuse old wallet infrastructure and the continued use of physical assets, like gold, to obscure criminal proceeds.
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