PASCO COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida man who was supposed to help companies survive ransomware attacks has admitted to helping the hackers instead.
Angelo Martino, 41, of Land O’ Lakes, pleaded guilty this week to conspiracy to commit extortion after federal investigators revealed he was secretly working with the notorious BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware group.
While working as a professional negotiator for a U.S. cybersecurity firm, Martino used his “inside man” status to tip off attackers. Between April and November 2023, he handed over confidential details about his own clients’ insurance limits and private negotiation strategies.
This allowed the hackers to demand the highest possible payouts from five different victims. Prosecutors say Martino was paid directly by the BlackCat operators for the leaks.
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The betrayal went beyond just leaking secrets. Martino also teamed up with two other industry professionals, Ryan Goldberg of Georgia and Kevin Martin of Texas, to launch their own ransomware strikes. In one instance, the trio successfully extorted $1.2 million in Bitcoin from a victim, splitting the loot three ways and laundering the digital cash.
The financial fallout for Martino has been swift. Federal authorities have already seized $10 million in assets, including cryptocurrency, luxury cars, a food truck, and a high-end fishing boat.
“Ransomware victims turned to this defendant for help, and he sold them out from the inside,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva added that Martino’s actions didn’t just harm his clients, but also damaged the reputation of the entire cyber incident response industry.
The FBI, which led the investigation alongside the U.S. Secret Service, noted that this case highlights a growing domestic threat. “His guilty plea demonstrates that, for all the international aspects of cybercrime, the threat is also here in the United States,” said FBI Assistant Director Brett Leatherman.
Martino’s sentencing is set for July 9, where he faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.
His partners, Martin and Goldberg, pleaded guilty in late 2025 and are scheduled for sentencing on April 30. This case follows a massive 2023 operation by the Justice Department that disrupted BlackCat’s infrastructure, a move that saved victims nearly $100 million in potential ransom payments.
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