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Ransomware Negotiator Sentenced to 70 Months for Betraying Clients

The case signals a Justice Department effort to punish insiders who feed ransomware gangs confidential negotiation and insurance information.

Overview

  • Martino was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison Monday after pleading guilty to conspiring to extort victims by sharing negotiation data with BlackCat affiliates.
  • Prosecutors say he secretly passed victims’ insurance limits, negotiating positions, and internal assessments to attackers and that five victims paid about $75.3 million in ransoms between April and September 2023.
  • Two co‑conspirators, Kevin Martin and Ryan Goldberg, previously received 48‑month prison terms for their roles in the same scheme.
  • Federal agents have seized more than $10 million in cryptocurrency and other assets tied to Martino, including luxury vehicles, a boat, and a food truck, and a restitution hearing will determine victim repayment.
  • The case highlights risks from insider collusion in the affiliate model used by BlackCat/ALPHV and follows broader law‑enforcement moves that disrupted the group’s data‑leak site in late 2023.