Deep Tide TechFlow reported on December 31 that, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, two American men have pleaded guilty to using the ALPHV BlackCat ransomware to attack multiple targets in the United States.
Ryan Goldberg (40 years old) from Georgia and Kevin Martin (36 years old) from Texas admitted to deploying the ALPHV BlackCat ransomware between April and December 2023. Both are cybersecurity industry professionals who, along with another co-conspirator, paid a 20% ransom share to the ALPHV BlackCat administrators to gain access to the ransomware. After successfully extorting approximately $1.2 million in Bitcoin from a victim, the three split 80% of the ransom and laundered the money through various means.
The two defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on March 12, 2026, and could face up to 20 years in prison.
