Ransomware negotiator hired to represent victims was working for the attackers
A former ransomware negotiator was [sentenced][1] to 70 months in prison yesterday after colluding with BlackCat scammers to extort the victims he was hired to protect.
As a ransomware negotiator for the [company DigitalMint][2], Florida resident Angelo Martino's job was "to negotiate with cybercriminals to mitigate the ransoms paid by [DigitalMint's] clients," the US government said in a [sentencing memorandum][3] on Tuesday. "Instead, Martino provided the cybercriminals with confidential negotiation information to maximize the ransoms in exchange for a portion of the ransom payments. Five of the victims whom Martino was supposed to help paid over $75 million to ransomware affiliates, including likely millions of dollars in ransom demands inflated as a result of the confidential information provided by Martino."
Martino, 41, pleaded guilty and [asked for a 24-month sentence][4], noting that he "provided substantial assistance that contributed to the indictment and conviction of two co-defendants." As described in [this November 2025 article][5], the co-defendants were Texas resident Kevin Martin, a ransomware negotiator for DigitalMint, and Georgia resident Ryan Goldberg, an incident manager at security firm Sygnia.
[Read full article][6]
[Comments][7]
[1]: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.708190/gov.uscourts.flsd.708190.46.0.pdf
[2]: https://digitalmint.io/services/ransomware-cryptocurrency-settlement/
[3]: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.708190/gov.uscourts.flsd.708190.40.0.pdf
[4]: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.708190/gov.uscourts.flsd.708190.37.0.pdf
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/11/fbi-arrests-ransomware-clean-up-experts-for-planting-ransomware/
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ransomware-negotiator-helped-attackers-extort-his-own-clients-gets-6-year-sentence/
[7]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ransomware-negotiator-helped-attackers-extort-his-own-clients-gets-6-year-sentence/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ransomware-negotiator-helped-attackers-extort-his-own-clients-gets-6-year-sentence/
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npub1ls…2cgqv
2026-07-10 20:41:22 UTC
Author Public Key
npub1ls4n6xlwcglrwf667mawh047cr3lkxyevnt7lax0wywj9809xgqqg2cgqvPublished at
2026-07-10 20:41:22 UTCEvent JSON
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"content": "Ransomware negotiator hired to represent victims was working for the attackers\n\nA former ransomware negotiator was [sentenced][1] to 70 months in prison yesterday after colluding with BlackCat scammers to extort the victims he was hired to protect.\n\nAs a ransomware negotiator for the [company DigitalMint][2], Florida resident Angelo Martino's job was \"to negotiate with cybercriminals to mitigate the ransoms paid by [DigitalMint's] clients,\" the US government said in a [sentencing memorandum][3] on Tuesday. \"Instead, Martino provided the cybercriminals with confidential negotiation information to maximize the ransoms in exchange for a portion of the ransom payments. Five of the victims whom Martino was supposed to help paid over $75 million to ransomware affiliates, including likely millions of dollars in ransom demands inflated as a result of the confidential information provided by Martino.\"\n\nMartino, 41, pleaded guilty and [asked for a 24-month sentence][4], noting that he \"provided substantial assistance that contributed to the indictment and conviction of two co-defendants.\" As described in [this November 2025 article][5], the co-defendants were Texas resident Kevin Martin, a ransomware negotiator for DigitalMint, and Georgia resident Ryan Goldberg, an incident manager at security firm Sygnia.\n\n[Read full article][6]\n\n[Comments][7]\n\n[1]: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.708190/gov.uscourts.flsd.708190.46.0.pdf\n[2]: https://digitalmint.io/services/ransomware-cryptocurrency-settlement/\n[3]: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.708190/gov.uscourts.flsd.708190.40.0.pdf\n[4]: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.708190/gov.uscourts.flsd.708190.37.0.pdf\n[5]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/11/fbi-arrests-ransomware-clean-up-experts-for-planting-ransomware/\n[6]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ransomware-negotiator-helped-attackers-extort-his-own-clients-gets-6-year-sentence/\n[7]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ransomware-negotiator-helped-attackers-extort-his-own-clients-gets-6-year-sentence/#comments\n\n\nhttps://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ransomware-negotiator-helped-attackers-extort-his-own-clients-gets-6-year-sentence/",
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