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Ex-Cybersecurity Workers Plead Guilty to Running BlackCat Ransomware Extortion

Prosecutors say the former incident‑response professionals operated as ALPHV affiliates, leveraging insider skills to breach U.S. firms, then splitting ransoms with the gang.

Overview

  • A federal court in Miami accepted guilty pleas to one count of conspiracy to extort, with sentencing set for March 2026 and a maximum of 20 years in prison for each defendant.
  • Court records describe attacks from May to November 2023 against a medical device maker, a pharmaceutical company, an engineering firm, a doctor's office, and a drone manufacturer.
  • Prosecutors say only the Tampa medical device company paid, transferring roughly $1.27 million after a $10 million demand.
  • The defendants agreed to remit a 20% cut to ALPHV for use of its ransomware platform, then split and laundered the remaining proceeds as asset‑forfeiture actions move forward.
  • Investigators identify the men as a former Sygnia incident‑response manager and a former DigitalMint ransomware negotiator, with the FBI Miami Field Office leading the case and an unnamed third conspirator still at issue.