The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida has issued an asset forfeiture order targeting cryptocurrencies and other assets controlled by a cybersecurity negotiator involved in a ransomware case. The total value of the seized assets is approximately $8.37 million, including Bitcoin, Monero, XRP, XLM, and a small amount of SOL.
The assets involved include BTC, XRP, and XMR.
- 90,319 BTC, valued at approximately $5.84 million
- 7,999.873 XMR, valued at approximately $2.46 million
- 56,174.15 XRP and 39,760.79 XLM
In addition to crypto assets, the court seizure order also covers physical assets such as two residential properties, luxury vehicles, and a speedboat.
The case points to the ransomware negotiation stage.
The report states that the individual involved, Angelo Martino, was originally employed by the company and was responsible for negotiating with hackers following a ransomware attack, helping to reduce the ransom demand and arranging cryptocurrency payments. The attack is allegedly linked to the BlackCat, also known as ALPHV, ransomware group.
However, in the case, he was accused of not siding with the victimized company but instead leaking the clients' actual budgets and insurance payout limits to the hackers. Armed with this information, the attackers could more precisely increase their demands.
Accused of receiving a share of cryptocurrency from ransom transactions
Reports indicate that the individuals involved allegedly received a fixed percentage of cryptocurrency proceeds from the related ransomware activities, including Bitcoin and XRP. As their involvement deepened, they were said to have moved beyond merely acting as intermediaries and instead became actively engaged in the ransomware chain.
This case again demonstrates that U.S. law enforcement continues to track on-chain funds linked to cyber extortion. While the case itself does not directly alter the trading structure of mainstream assets, it reflects the growing enforcement efforts by authorities to seize and confiscate crypto assets.