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U.S. Prosecutors Indict Cybersecurity Insiders in Alleged BlackCat Ransomware Scheme

Prosecutors describe trusted responders turned ALPHV affiliates, extorting firms via crypto mixers.

Overview

  • An Oct. 2 indictment in the Southern District of Florida charges Kevin Tyler Martin and Ryan Clifford Goldberg, plus an unnamed co‑conspirator, with extortion and intentional damage to protected computers.
  • Court filings say the group targeted at least five U.S. companies in 2023 using ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware, with a Tampa medical device maker paying about $1.27 million after a $10 million demand.
  • An FBI affidavit outlines a conspiracy running from May 2023 through April 2025, involving unauthorized access, data theft, encryption, and cryptocurrency laundering through mixing services.
  • Goldberg is detained pending trial after international travel flagged him as a flight risk, while Martin pleaded not guilty, was released on $400,000 bond, and is barred from cybersecurity work ahead of trial.
  • DigitalMint and Sygnia say they terminated implicated employees, are cooperating with investigators, and are not targets of the probe; the unnamed co‑conspirator may have worked at DigitalMint.