Two U.S. nationals have recently been indicted for using BlackCat ransomware to attack targets in the United States. A third individual is suspected of involvement but was not included in the indictment. All three individuals worked at cybersecurity companies and conducted the attacks while they were employed there.
Ryan Clifford Goldberg was employed by the cybersecurity firm Sygnia as an incident response professional, and Kevin Tyler Martin and an unnamed co-conspirator were both employed by the Chicago-based cyber threat intelligence and incident response firm DigitalMint as ransomware threat negotiators.
The two indicted individuals are alleged to have engaged in a conspiracy to enrich themselves by breaching company networks, stealing their data, using ransomware to encrypt files, and extorting the companies to obtain cryptocurrency payments. A medical device company was attacked on or around May 13, 2023, resulting in a $10 million ransom demand. The medical device company negotiated and paid a $1,274,000 ransom payment.
A pharmaceutical company was also attacked in May 2023, but the ransom demand was not disclosed. Then came a July 2023 attack on a doctor’s office in California, which included a $5,000,000 ransom demand. In October 2023, an engineering company was attacked and told to pay $1 million, then in November 2023, a drone manufacturer in Virginia was attacked, and the defendants allegedly demanded a $300,000 ransom payment. Only the medical device company paid the ransom.
Kevin Tyler Martin, who resides in Texas, was employed as a ransomware negotiator by DigitalMint between May 2023 and April 2025, where the unnamed Florida-based co-conspirator also worked. Both individuals are thought to have been rogue employees and have been fired by DigitalMint, which has been cooperating with the law enforcement operation. Ryan Clifford Goldberg was employed as an incident response manager at Sygnia Cybersecurity Services at the time of the attacks, but no longer works for the company.
There are no indications that either company was aware of the attacks, which were conducted outside of their infrastructure and systems. DigitalMint said client data was not compromised in the incident, and no one alleged to have been involved in the scheme has worked for the company in over four months.
The FBI raided the home of the unnamed co-conspirator in April 2025, and Goldberg was interviewed by the FBI the following month, initially denying involvement in the scheme. Goldberg later claimed to have been recruited by the unnamed co-conspirator and said he conducted the attacks to get out of debt. He claims that, along with the other two members of the scheme, he received payment of $200,000 for the attack. Martin denies any involvement in the scheme.
Martin and Goldberg were indicted on October 2, 2025, on charges of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by extortion, interference with interstate commerce, and intentional damage to a protected computer. Martin has been released on a $400,000 bond and is prohibited from working in cybersecurity before the trial.
Goldberg is being held pending trial as he is considered a flight risk. Goldberg booked a one-way flight from Atlanta to Paris in June and traveled with his wife. He remained in France until September 21. Goldberg flew from Amsterdam to Mexico City and was arrested when he landed and deported to the United States. If found guilty, Martin and Goldberg face up to 50 years in jail.
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