By Raphael Satter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Prosecutors said three American cybersecurity professionals secretly ran a ransomware operation aimed at shaking down companies across the United States.

The three people, only two of whom – Ryan Goldberg and Kevin Martin – were identified by name, collaborated with the notorious hacking gang ALPHV BlackCat to encrypt companies’ networks in a bid to extort their owners out of millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency, prosecutors alleged in an indictment filed last month in federal court in Miami.

The news was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times on Sunday.

Goldberg has been detained ahead of trial, court records show. Martin pleaded not guilty. A lawyer for Martin declined comment. A lawyer listed for Goldberg did not immediately respond t

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