A 41-year-old former ransomware negotiator has been sentenced to nearly six years (70 months) in prison in the U.S. for his involvement in conspiring with the now-defunct **BlackCat** ransomware operators. **Martino** was found to have extorted multiple victims and worked with two other cybersecurity professionals to target additional victims in 2023. ### Double Agent Betrayal Federal prosecutors, in a sentencing memorandum, described **Martino** as a "double agent working to maximize the harm to his clients and the financial gain to cybercriminals who paid him a part of the ransom." **Angelo Martino**, of Land O'Lakes, Florida, pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiring to interfere with interstate commerce through extortion. He acted as a negotiator for five different ransomware victims while secretly providing **BlackCat** attackers with confidential information regarding their negotiating position and strategy. This privileged information, including details about victims' insurance policy limits and internal negotiation stances, allowed the operators to inflate the ransom amounts demanded. Assistant Attorney General **A. Tysen Duva** of the U.S. Justice Department's Criminal Division stated, "**Angelo Martino's** victims shared heartbreaking accounts of how their businesses were nearly destroyed, while the people they hired to help them instead betrayed them to ransomware gangs." ### Collusion with Cybersecurity Professionals Beyond his role as a double agent, **Martino** was also accused of colluding with **Ryan Goldberg**, 41, of Georgia, and **Kevin Martin**, 36, of Texas. Together, they successfully deployed **BlackCat** ransomware against multiple U.S. victims between April and November 2023. At the time, **Martino** and **Martin** were employed at **DigitalMint**, while **Goldberg** worked as an incident response manager for cybersecurity company **Sygnia**. Both **Goldberg** and **Martin** were previously sentenced to four years each in prison in May 2026 after pleading guilty to their crimes. U.S. Attorney **Jason A. Reding Quiñones** for the Southern District of Florida emphasized, "He was hired to help victims in a moment of crisis. Instead, **Martino** betrayed them, fed their confidential negotiating positions to ransomware criminals, and helped squeeze them for more money. This case sends a clear message: we will pursue the hackers who deploy ransomware, the insiders who enable them, and the money they steal from American victims." ### Asset Seizure and Restitution The Justice Department has seized $10 million in assets from **Martino** to date, including digital currency, vehicles, a food truck, and a luxury fishing boat, all purchased with illicit proceeds. **Martino** is scheduled to appear in court on September 17, 2026, for a determination of the exact restitution amount. Assistant Director **Brett Leatherman** of the **FBI** Cyber Division reiterated, "**Angelo Martino** sold out the very victims he was hired to represent, handing their confidential negotiating positions to **BlackCat** actors to drive up ransoms and enrich himself."