A 3rd man has pleaded responsible to taking part in ransomware assaults whereas working for a cybersecurity firm employed to barter with hackers.
In October 2025, the US introduced costs towards three people for allegedly conducting ransomware assaults towards a number of corporations. Authorities mentioned the suspects had been tasked with serving to victims, however as a substitute they helped the attackers in return for a share of the ransom.
Two of the suspects, Kevin Martin from Texas and Ryan Goldberg from Georgia, pleaded responsible in late 2025 and await sentencing, scheduled for the top of April.
The id of the third particular person was solely revealed in March 2026. He’s 41-year-old Angelo Martino from Florida, who labored with Martin as a ransomware negotiator at an incident response agency. Goldberg labored for a unique cybersecurity firm.
Martino has now additionally pleaded responsible and, much like Goldberg and Martin, faces as much as 20 years in jail.
In accordance with the Justice Division, Martino abused his position as a ransomware negotiator for 5 corporations by offering the BlackCat/Alphv cybercrime group with info helpful in negotiating a ransom fee.
“This confidential info assisted the ransomware actors and maximized the ransoms that the victims had been required to pay. The BlackCat actors paid Martino for this confidential info,” the DOJ mentioned.
Legislation enforcement has seized $10 million value of property from Martino.
Over 1,000 organizations had been focused in BlackCat ransomware assaults between November 2021 and December 2023, when the operation was disrupted by regulation enforcement. The cybercriminals continued working for just a few extra months till they obtained a $22 million ransom, then pulled an exit rip-off.
The US has been providing a $10 million reward for info on key members of the BlackCat group, however no costs have been introduced thus far.
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