The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida has ordered the forfeiture of cryptocurrency portfolios worth an estimated $8.37 million from Angelo Martino, a former cybersecurity negotiator convicted of conspiring with ransomware gangs. Instead of protecting corporate victims, Martino leaked confidential budget and insurance information to the BlackCat (ALPHV) group, enabling hackers to demand higher ransoms while he pocketed kickbacks in crypto.
The seized assets were spread across multiple blockchains. The largest share was 90.319 BTC (approximately $5.84 million), used as a store of value. Privacy-focused Monero (XMR) accounted for 7,999.873 tokens (~$2.46 million) to obscure the flow of funds. Additionally, 56,174.15 XRP were confiscated from a specific wallet, alongside 39,760.79 XLM and small residual balances of Solana’s SOL token.
Alongside the crypto, authorities seized luxury real estate, vehicles, and motorboats that Martino had purchased with his illicit earnings. He had been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison after his double‑game collapsed, and this forfeiture effectively dismantles the financial infrastructure of his scheme.
