A former ransomware negotiator, Angelo Martino, pleaded guilty to collaborating with BlackCat operators in 2023 to provide confidential victim negotiation details and help maximize ransom demands. Martino and two other incident responders also admitted to deploying BlackCat, extorting victims for about $1.2 million in one case, and authorities seized roughly $10 million in assets; he faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing on July 9, 2026. #BlackCat #AngeloMartino
Keypoints
- Angelo Martino pleaded guilty to assisting BlackCat operators in 2023.
- He secretly provided clients’ insurance limits and negotiation positions to attackers.
- Martino collaborated with Ryan Goldberg and Kevin Martin to deploy BlackCat against U.S. victims.
- One victim was extorted for approximately $1.2 million in Bitcoin, and about $10 million in assets were seized.
- Martino admitted to a conspiracy to extort and faces a maximum of 20 years; sentencing is July 9, 2026.
Read More: https://thehackernews.com/2026/04/ransomware-negotiator-pleads-guilty-to.html