- Three U.S. nationals are charged with attacking five U.S. companies using BlackCat Ransomware in 2023.
- The suspects targeted firms including medical, pharmaceutical, engineering, and manufacturing sectors.
- Ransom demands ranged from $300,000 to $10 million, with at least one victim paying over $1.2 million in cryptocurrency.
- Two suspects formerly worked for companies involved in Cybersecurity and ransomware negotiation and have pleaded guilty or not guilty to charges.
- Charges carry potential prison sentences of up to 50 years for conspiracy, extortion, and damage to protected computers.
Federal prosecutors in the U.S. have accused three individuals of Hacking the networks of five American companies between May and November 2023 using BlackCat, also known as ALPHV, ransomware. The defendants allegedly extorted these companies to obtain cryptocurrency payments.
The accused are Ryan Clifford Goldberg, Kevin Tyler Martin, and an unnamed co-conspirator, all U.S. citizens based in Florida. The targets included a medical device firm in Tampa, a pharmaceutical company in Maryland, a doctor’s office and an engineering firm in California, and a drone manufacturer in Virginia. The group demanded ransom payments ranging from about $300,000 to $10 million. The medical device company paid approximately $1.27 million in cryptocurrency.
According to an indictment document, the suspects gained unauthorized access to victim networks, deployed BlackCat ransomware, and stole data to demand ransom payments. The criminal proceeds were then divided among them. The Chicago Sun-Times first reported the indictment, noting that Martin and the unnamed co-conspirator worked as ransomware negotiators for a company called DigitalMint, while Goldberg was an incident response manager at cybersecurity firm Sygnia. Both companies have stated they cooperated with law enforcement.
Court records reveal that Goldberg allegedly admitted in an FBI interview to participating in the ransomware attacks to resolve personal debt and was recruited by the co-conspirator to carry out extortion efforts. Martin has pleaded not guilty. The third individual has not been formally charged. Both Goldberg and Martin face multiple federal charges, including conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by extortion and intentional damage to protected computers. These offenses carry maximum prison terms up to 50 years.
In July 2025, Bloomberg reported the FBI was investigating a former DigitalMint employee suspected of taking cuts from ransomware payments. The case highlights concerns over insider threats in cybersecurity roles facilitating cybercrime.
For more details, see the official indictment and the Chicago Sun-Times report.
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