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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Angelo Martino, a former ransomware negotiator at the U.S.-based incident-response company DigitalMint, pleaded guilty to an extortion conspiracy after secretly helping BlackCat/ALPHV attackers. The Justice Department says he shared confidential negotiation information for five clients and also joined a separate ransomware attack. He was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison on July 9, 2026.
Who was the DigitalMint ransomware negotiator?
Martino, 41, of Land O’Lakes, Florida, worked on the victim side of ransomware incidents as a negotiator for DigitalMint. That role gave him access to information clients relied on the company to keep confidential. The Justice Department said he used that access to assist BlackCat/ALPHV, a ransomware operation.
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What did Martino plead guilty to?
On April 14, 2026, Martino pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to obstruct, delay or affect commerce through extortion. The Justice Department announced the plea on April 20. The charge covered his participation in an extortion scheme; the department also described a separate conspiracy in which he helped carry out ransomware attacks.
How did he help BlackCat?
He shared confidential information from five client negotiations
According to the Justice Department, the insider activity began in April 2023. Martino secretly supplied BlackCat operators with confidential negotiating positions and strategies, as well as insurance-policy limits, for five clients he represented. He did so without permission from those clients or his employer. The attackers paid him for information they could use to set or press for larger ransom demands.
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He also took part in a separate attack
In another conspiracy, Martino worked with Kevin Martin and Ryan Goldberg, two other cybersecurity professionals, to deploy BlackCat ransomware against additional U.S. victims. The three successfully extorted one victim for approximately $1.2 million in Bitcoin, then divided and laundered the proceeds. The Justice Department sentenced Martin and Goldberg to 48 months each on May 1, 2026.
What sentence did Martino receive?
At the time of his plea, Martino faced a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison on the count. That was the maximum available penalty, not the sentence imposed. On July 9, 2026, he was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison.
What money and property did the government seize?
The Justice Department reported that law enforcement seized assets tied to Martino valued at $10 million. The listed assets included digital currency, vehicles, a food truck and a luxury fishing boat. The department said a restitution hearing was scheduled for September 17, 2026; its July sentencing announcement does not state the hearing’s outcome or a final restitution amount.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWhy this case matters to incident-response and insurance workflows
The alleged conduct illustrates a specific insider risk: a negotiator may handle both a victim’s strategy and sensitive financial information, including insurance limits, while communicating with people involved in a ransomware incident. If that information reaches attackers, it can undermine the client’s negotiating position. This case does not establish that every incident-response provider or cyber insurer has the same exposure; it shows why organizations should tightly control access to negotiation files and policy details, document who can view or share them, and maintain oversight of people acting on their behalf.
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