Two American cybersecurity professionals—Ryan Clifford Goldberg of Georgia and Kevin Tyler Martin of Texas—have pleaded guilty to conspiring with a notorious ransomware group to extort multiple U.S. companies, according to federal court filings.
Goldberg, formerly an incident‑response supervisor at Sygnia Consulting, and Martin, a ransomware negotiator for DigitalMint, admitted to leveraging their insider knowledge of cyber‑defense practices to help deploy ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware during a series of attacks in 2023. Prosecutors say the pair, along with an unnamed third accomplice, targeted several American businesses and in at least one case secured more than $1 million in cryptocurrency from a Florida medical device company.
The U.S. Department of Justice said both men pleaded guilty in federal court in Miami to conspiracy to interfere with commerce through extortion, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for March 2026.
Officials emphasized the gravity of the case, noting that the defendants used the very skills they were hired to defend organizations with to instead facilitate criminal attacks. The incident has drawn widespread attention across the cybersecurity sector, highlighting the risks posed when trusted insiders turn their expertise toward criminal activity.
