A software engineer employed by Google has been arrested in the United States over allegations that he used confidential company data to make more than $1.2 million through online prediction market bets.
Federal prosecutors in New York announced that the suspect, identified as Michele Spagnuolo, allegedly accessed sensitive internal Google search trend information before it became publicly available and used the data to place high-stakes wagers on the prediction platform, Polymarket.
According to court filings, investigators accused the 36-year-old engineer of exploiting insider access to confidential “Year in Search 2025” data while working at the tech giant. Authorities claimed he secretly used the nonpublic information to predict outcomes on the betting platform with remarkable accuracy.
Prosecutors alleged that between October and December 2025, Spagnuolo placed bets worth approximately $2.7 million through an account operating under the alias “AlphaRaccoon.” The wagers reportedly focused on future Google search trends, celebrity popularity rankings, and other online activity metrics that had not yet been disclosed to the public.
Investigators said the betting operation generated profits estimated at more than $1.2 million after Google officially released its annual search rankings.
One of the most controversial allegations involved a bet predicting that music artist D4vd would become Google’s most-searched person of 2025. Prosecutors argued that the outcome appeared highly unlikely at the time the wager was made, suggesting the suspect may have relied on privileged information unavailable to ordinary users.
The U.S. Department of Justice charged the Google employee with multiple offenses, including wire fraud, commodities fraud, and money laundering. Authorities confirmed he was arrested in New York before being released on bond pending further court proceedings.
In a statement, Google said it is cooperating fully with law enforcement agencies investigating the matter. The company added that the alleged conduct violated its internal policies regarding confidential information and ethical standards.
Employees are expected to protect sensitive company data and comply with strict integrity guidelines, the company reportedly stated.
