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BlackCat Ransomware Affiliate Conspires with Former Negotiator to Target US Victims

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A former ransomware negotiator pleaded guilty to conspiring with the BlackCat (ALPHV) ransomware group to extort multiple US victims between April 2023 and November 2023. Angelo Martino, 41, of Land O’Lakes, Florida, worked as a negotiator for incident response firm Digital Mint while secretly collaborating with BlackCat affiliates. He provided internal negotiation details, including insurance policy limits and victim positions, to maximize ransom demands. Martino also actively participated in deploying ransomware as an affiliate, alongside Ryan Goldberg of Georgia and Kevin Martin of Texas. Authorities seized $10 million in assets from Martino, including cryptocurrency, luxury vehicles, a food truck, and a fishing boat. Court documents indicate ransoms paid to the trio totaled at least $69 million across victims including a hospitality firm ($16.5m), a financial services firm ($25.7m), and a non-profit ($26.8m). Martino’s sentencing is scheduled for July 9, 2026, with a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment.

Timeline

  1. 22.04.2026 14:00 1 articles · 1h ago

    Former Ransomware Negotiator Admits Conspiracy with BlackCat Affiliates

    On April 22, 2026, Angelo Martino pleaded guilty to conspiring with BlackCat (ALPHV) affiliates to extort multiple US victims between April and November 2023. Martino, a negotiator employed by Digital Mint, passed privileged victim information to the group to maximize ransom demands while also deploying ransomware as an affiliate alongside Ryan Goldberg and Kevin Martin. Authorities seized $10 million in assets from Martino, and court documents indicate victims paid at least $69 million in ransoms.

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Information Snippets

  • Angelo Martino, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to obstruct commerce by extortion in relation to his collaboration with the BlackCat (ALPHV) ransomware group.

    First reported: 22.04.2026 14:00
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Martino worked as a ransomware negotiator at Digital Mint while secretly passing victim negotiation details, including insurance policy limits and internal positions, to BlackCat between April 2023 and November 2023.

    First reported: 22.04.2026 14:00
    1 source, 1 article
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  • He actively conspired with Ryan Goldberg (Georgia) and Kevin Martin (Texas) to deploy ransomware against multiple US victims during the same period, acting as a BlackCat affiliate.

    First reported: 22.04.2026 14:00
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Authorities seized approximately $10 million in assets from Martino, including digital currency, luxury vehicles, a food truck, and a fishing boat.

    First reported: 22.04.2026 14:00
    1 source, 1 article
    Show sources

  • Court documents indicate at least three victims paid ransoms totaling $69 million: a hospitality firm ($16.5m), a financial services firm ($25.7m), and a non-profit ($26.8m). Additional victims included retailers, manufacturers, medical companies, engineering firms, and pharmaceutical companies.

    First reported: 22.04.2026 14:00
    1 source, 1 article
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  • BlackCat (ALPHV) was estimated by the FBI to have generated up to $300 million from hundreds of victims as of late 2023, employing tactics such as threatening to report victims to the SEC to pressure payments.

    First reported: 22.04.2026 14:00
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Martino’s sentencing is scheduled for July 9, 2026, with a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment.

    First reported: 22.04.2026 14:00
    1 source, 1 article
    Show sources