Florida Ransomware Negotiator Sentenced for Helping BlackCat Gang Extort U.S. Companies

A Florida man who worked as a ransomware negotiator for a U.S. cybersecurity company has been sentenced to more than five years in prison after conspiring with hackers to carry out ransomware attacks against American businesses.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Angelo Martino helped deploy BlackCat ransomware while secretly working with cybercriminals in 2023. Authorities also seized more than $10 million in cryptocurrency and other assets, including a luxury fishing boat and a food truck, which prosecutors said were purchased using proceeds from the attacks.

Cybersecurity professionals turned cybercriminals.

Martino is the third person convicted in the scheme, following the earlier sentencing of Kevin Martin and Ryan Goldberg. Prosecutors said the trio used BlackCat ransomware to target U.S. companies and shared the profits after laundering ransom payments. In one successful attack, the group allegedly extorted about $1.2 million from a victim before dividing the proceeds equally.

The case is unusual because it involved cybersecurity professionals who allegedly assisted a ransomware operation while employed in the industry. Governments have consistently advised organisations not to pay ransom demands, although some businesses continue to do so in an effort to prevent stolen data from being published.

BlackCat remains one of the most notorious ransomware groups

The BlackCat, or ALPHV, ransomware-as-a-service operation rents its malware to affiliate hackers in exchange for a share of ransom payments. The group gained international attention after its ransomware was used during the 2024 cyberattack on Change Healthcare, which exposed sensitive medical and billing information belonging to more than 192 million people. The hackers responsible for that breach have never been publicly identified.