Angelo Martino sentenced to 70 months for aiding BlackCat

Angelo Martino, 41, a Florida-based cybersecurity negotiator, was sentenced Thursday to 70 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in April to charges tied to aiding the BlackCat/Alphv ransomware group.

Court filings say Martino began collaborating with BlackCat operators in April 2023 and provided confidential information about his employer’s clients, including negotiation strategies and bargaining positions. Prosecutors allege that information helped the group extract larger ransoms from at least five victims.

Prosecutors contend BlackCat paid Martino in return for the information. Authorities seized about $10 million in assets linked to Martino, including cryptocurrency holdings, vehicles, a food truck and a fishing boat. A restitution amount will be determined at a hearing scheduled for September.

Martino is the third U.S.-based cybersecurity professional charged last year for allegedly aiding ransomware actors while working to protect victims. Two others, Kevin Martin of Texas and Ryan Goldberg of Georgia, each received four-year federal prison terms in late April after pleading guilty.

Federal prosecutors attribute more than 1,000 ransomware incidents to BlackCat/Alphv between 2021 and December 2023, when U.S. authorities and international partners disrupted the group. After the disruption, the group reportedly secured a $22 million ransom from a victim and later carried out what investigators described as an exit scam. The U.S. government has offered up to $10 million for information leading to key members of the group.

Court records and charging documents show investigators tracked payments and communications to build the cases against Martino and the other negotiators. Martino’s sentence and the planned restitution hearing conclude the current criminal proceedings against him.