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Former DigitalMint ransomware negotiator Angelo Martino pleaded guilty to conspiring with ALPHV/BlackCat operators and U.S.-based accomplices to attack and extort American organizations while simultaneously serving in a trusted incident-response role. Prosecutors said Martino used insider access to share confidential victim information — including negotiation positions, strategies, and insurance policy limits — with BlackCat actors, helping drive up ransom demands. He was previously charged with conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by extortion after surrendering to U.S. Marshals, and he now faces up to 20 years in prison.
Court filings allege Martino worked with former DigitalMint negotiator Kevin Tyler Martin and former Sygnia incident response manager Ryan Goldberg in at least 10 attacks, including cases where five victims hired DigitalMint and were assigned Martino as their negotiator. Authorities said the group acted as BlackCat affiliates, paid the gang a 20% share for use of its ransomware and extortion portal, and extracted more than $75.25 million across multiple incidents, including payments exceeding $25 million and one Florida medical-sector extortion that yielded about $1.2 million in Bitcoin. Law enforcement has seized roughly $10 million or more in Martino’s assets, while DigitalMint said it was unaware of the scheme, fired the implicated employees, cooperated with investigators, and added stronger oversight, auditing, and logging controls.
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Following his April 21, 2026 guilty plea in the BlackCat insider-extortion case, Angelo Martino's sentencing was scheduled for July 9, 2026. The new reference identifies this court date as the next major procedural step in the case.
On April 30, 2026, Ryan Goldberg and Kevin Martin were each sentenced to four years in prison for deploying ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware against multiple U.S. victims in 2023. The Justice Department said they acted as BlackCat affiliates in a ransomware-as-a-service scheme and had previously pleaded guilty in December 2025.
On April 21, 2026, Angelo Martino pleaded guilty to conspiring with BlackCat/ALPHV operators and U.S.-based accomplices to deploy ransomware and extort U.S. victims. He admitted abusing his negotiator role to provide confidential client information, including insurance limits and negotiation strategies, to maximize ransom payments.
Federal prosecutors unsealed charges against Angelo Martino in March 2026, accusing him of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by extortion and of sharing confidential negotiation information with ALPHV/BlackCat while participating in attacks. Authorities also seized millions of dollars in cryptocurrency and other assets tied to him.
Angelo Martino surrendered to the U.S. Marshals on March 10, 2026, in connection with allegations that he aided BlackCat attacks and abused his role as a ransomware negotiator. He was later released under bond and employment restrictions.
A federal criminal complaint and supporting affidavit against Angelo Martino were filed on February 25, 2026, outlining allegations that he conspired with ALPHV/BlackCat affiliates and misused confidential ransomware negotiation information. The filing preceded his March 10 surrender and the later public unsealing of charges in March 2026.
In December 2025, Kevin Tyler Martin and Ryan Goldberg pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct commerce by extortion for their roles in the BlackCat-linked insider scheme. Their sentencings were later set for April 30, 2026.
DigitalMint said it fired Angelo Martino the day after suspending his access following DOJ notification. The company also said it later strengthened oversight, auditing, and logging controls around negotiations.
DigitalMint said the Justice Department notified the company about Angelo Martino's alleged criminal activity on April 3, 2025. The company then suspended his access and began cooperating with law enforcement.
In December 2023, the Justice Department and FBI disrupted BlackCat/ALPHV by seizing its websites and deploying an FBI-developed decryptor. Authorities said the action helped victims avoid roughly $99 million in ransom payments.
Between April and November 2023, Angelo Martino, Kevin Tyler Martin, and Ryan Goldberg allegedly deployed ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware against multiple U.S. victims while also using insider knowledge from incident response and negotiation work. Prosecutors say the broader scheme ultimately involved at least 10 attacks in 2023 and more than $75.25 million in ransom payments.
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Former DigitalMint ransomware negotiator Angelo John Martino III was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for conspiring with **BlackCat/ALPHV** affiliates and abusing confidential client information to drive up ransomware payments from U.S. victims. Prosecutors said Martino used sensitive details from at least five victim organizations—including negotiating positions, insurance limits, financial status, and planned responses—to help attackers increase pressure and extract larger payments, effectively working both sides of the negotiations. Authorities said the scheme contributed to extortion demands tied to roughly **$75.3 million** in victim losses. Martino also admitted conspiring with former DigitalMint negotiator Kevin Tyler Martin and former Sygnia incident response manager Ryan Clifford Goldberg to deploy BlackCat ransomware against five additional U.S. companies, including a medical firm that paid nearly **$1.3 million** in Bitcoin. The case was investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office and the U.S. Secret Service as part of **Operation Riptide**, and authorities seized millions in assets linked to Martino, with reports citing between **$7 million and $10 million**. The sentencing highlights the insider risk facing ransomware victims that rely on outside negotiators and incident response firms during extortion events.
Jul 14, 2026
Three former employees of cybersecurity firms DigitalMint and Sygnia have been indicted for orchestrating a series of BlackCat (ALPHV) ransomware attacks against five U.S. companies between May and November 2023. The accused, including Kevin Tyler Martin and Ryan Clifford Goldberg, allegedly abused their positions as incident response professionals to gain unauthorized access to victim networks, deploy ransomware, steal sensitive data, and demand cryptocurrency ransoms ranging from $300,000 to $10 million. The Department of Justice and FBI state that the group operated as BlackCat affiliates, with at least one successful extortion resulting in a $1.27 million payment from a Tampa medical device manufacturer after its servers were encrypted. The indictment details additional targets, including a Maryland pharmaceutical company, a California doctor's office, a California engineering firm, and a Virginia drone manufacturer, though it is unclear if further ransom payments were made. DigitalMint and Sygnia have both denied organizational involvement, terminated the implicated employees, and are cooperating with law enforcement. The case highlights the risk of insider threats within cybersecurity firms and the sophisticated tactics used by ransomware operators to exploit trusted access for criminal gain.
Jun 29, 2026
U.S. prosecutors announced two significant ransomware case outcomes: Armenian national **Karen Serobovich Vardanyan** pleaded guilty to conspiracy and computer fraud for helping compromise U.S. organizations and deploy **Ryuk** ransomware, while Florida resident **Angelo Martino** was sentenced to **70 months** for assisting the **BlackCat/ALPHV** gang. Court records say Vardanyan provided initial access to victim networks between November 2019 and April 2020, with victims including a Michigan company, a technology firm in Wilsonville, Oregon, and a Texas school. Prosecutors linked Vardanyan and his co-conspirators to roughly **1,610 bitcoin** in ransom payments, valued at about **$15 million** at the time. Vardanyan was arrested in Kyiv in April 2025, extradited to the United States in 2025, and now faces up to **15 years in prison**, fines of **$250,000 per charge**, and more than **$1.1 million** in restitution; sentencing is scheduled for September 2026. In the separate BlackCat/ALPHV case, Martino was convicted for abusing his position as a ransomware negotiator to share confidential victim negotiation information with attackers, and his co-conspirators **Ryan Goldberg** and **Kevin Martin** had already received four-year prison terms. The cases underscore continued U.S. efforts to disrupt both ransomware operators and the support networks that enable extortion campaigns.
Jul 12, 2026