Ryuk Operator Pleads Guilty as BlackCat/ALPHV Negotiator Gets 70 Months
Summary
A man pleaded guilty to conspiracy and computer fraud over Ryuk ransomware deployments, while a former ransomware negotiator received 70 months for helping BlackCat/ALPHV extort victims. DigitalMint says it added audited negotiation controls.
Key points
- Karen Serobovich Vardanyan pleaded guilty to conspiracy and computer fraud; prosecutors said he accessed company networks for about six months beginning in November 2019 to deploy Ryuk.
- Prosecutors said Vardanyan and co-conspirators attacked companies in Michigan and Oregon and a Texas school; one company paid 200 bitcoin, worth over $1.1 million at the time, to restore network access.
- Angelo Martino received a 70-month federal prison sentence for helping BlackCat/ALPHV extort multiple victims beginning in April 2023.
- Prosecutors said Martino provided confidential information about his employer's clients' negotiating positions to help ransomware actors maximize payments.
- Martino and two other defendants worked as ransomware negotiators at DigitalMint; the article says DigitalMint now requires negotiations on auditable, logged cloud platforms and has its founder oversee them.
- Vardanyan was extradited from Ukraine in June 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 22; he agreed to pay more than $1.1 million in restitution.
Article Details
- Event Type
- U.S. criminal proceedings involving participants in Ryuk and Blackcat/AlphV ransomware operations, including guilty pleas and prison sentences.
- Impact
- Prosecutors said Karen Serobovich Vardanyan accessed victim networks to deploy Ryuk, including against a company that paid 200 bitcoin to restore access. Angelo Martino pleaded guilty to extortion for providing Blackcat/AlphV attackers confidential information about his employer’s clients’ negotiating positions. The cases also resulted in guilty pleas and sentences for Ryan Goldberg and Kevin Martin.
Threat Actors
Andrii Leonydovich PrykhodchenkoU.S. prosecutors charged him with conspiracy, fraud, and extortion; the article reports the charges and does not establish a conviction.Angelo MartinoPleaded guilty to extortion and received a 70-month sentence. Prosecutors said he provided Blackcat/AlphV attackers confidential information about his employer’s clients’ negotiating positions and strategy.BlackCat/ALPHVRansomware group whose attackers paid Martino for confidential information to help maximize ransom payments from victims, according to prosecutors.Karen Serobovich VardanyanPleaded guilty to conspiracy and computer fraud for accessing company networks for about six months beginning in November 2019 to deploy Ryuk ransomware, according to prosecutors.Kevin Tyler MartinPleaded guilty to an extortion charge in the Blackcat/AlphV-related case and received a four-year prison sentence, according to the article.Levon Georgiyovych AvetisyanU.S. prosecutors charged him with conspiracy, fraud, and extortion; the article reports the charges and does not establish a conviction.Oleg Nikolayevich LyulyavaU.S. prosecutors charged him with conspiracy, fraud, and extortion; the article reports the charges and does not establish a conviction.Ryan GoldbergPleaded guilty to an extortion charge in the Blackcat/AlphV-related case and received a four-year prison sentence, according to the article.