Palm Coast Man Arrested After Alleged Cyber Attack on Local Tea Company

iSkyNews and Media July 12, 2025

Photo Credit: Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)
Palm Coast Man Arrested After Alleged Cyber Attack on Local Tea Company

Staff Reporter | iSkyNews.com (ISC News)

Published July 12th, 2025

PALM COAST, Fla. — A former IT employee at a St. Augustine tea company is facing serious felony charges after Florida authorities say he launched a targeted cyber-attack just moments after being fired.

Agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested Richard Clayton Wozniak, 41, of Palm Coast, on four counts of offenses against computer users and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communications device, following an extensive investigation into a January data breach.

🧠 Disruption from Within

The probe began when The Spice and Tea Exchange Company reported a cyber intrusion involving deletion and alteration of company data. FDLE investigators discovered Wozniak had accessed the business network within minutes of being terminated from his role in the company’s IT department.

Officials say he disabled the company’s firewall, jeopardizing data integrity, disrupting operations, and compromising physical security. Investigators reviewed email activity, system logs, and network traffic to piece together the intrusion timeline.

👮‍♂️ Arrest and Charges

With help from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Wozniak was taken into custody on July 9 and booked into the Flagler County Jail. The Office of the Statewide Prosecution in Jacksonville will handle the case.

🛡️ FDLE's Cybercrime Warning

The agency emphasized the serious nature of insider threats in cybersecurity, urging businesses to maintain strict offboarding protocols and monitor for suspicious access after employee separations.

📲 To report cybercrime in Florida, contact FDLE’s Cybercrime Office at cybercrimeoffice@fdle.state.fl.us.

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Florida News