A Google employee allegedly used inside information to win $1.2 million on Polymarket

Federal prosecutors have charged a Google employee with fraud after he allegedly made $1.2 million from Polymarket bets related to search-related trends in 2025, as Reported earlier by ABC News. in Their now unspoken complaintProsecutors allege that Michele Spagnuolo “knew the outcome of these bets before the commercial public did because he had access to confidential internal Google data of commercial value.” Spagnuolo was arrested in New York on Wednesday but was released on $2.25 million bail, ABC News reports. He is accused of commodity fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.

Spagnuolo bet on Polymarket under the username AlphaRacoon, where his successful search-related bets attracted attention Ports like Forbes and Users on social media Last December. In one case, Spagnuolo correctly guessed that a singer named D4vd would be the “number one person searched for on Google” in 2025, despite the “near zero probability” identified by Polymarket, according to the complaint.

At the same time, Spagnuolo allegedly bet that Pope Leo XIV and Kendrick Lamar would not appear on Google. “Year in Search 2025” listings.which is difficult to predict because of how it is calculated. Google says It ranked terms last year based on those with the “highest increase in traffic” — not the highest number of searches — between January 1, 2025, and November 25, 2025. “By measuring the spike in interest rather than the total number of searches, we can identify trends that were unique to 2025.”

“Once he won, Spagnuolo took deliberate steps to conceal his unlawful use of non-public information by attempting to conceal the source and ownership of his illegal proceeds,” the complaint says. Last month, federal prosecutors charged US Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke with fraud for allegedly making… Polymarket bet $400,000 Regarding the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

in Statement on XPolymarket called itself an “executive leader,” saying its “market safety infrastructure” signaled Spagnuolo’s activity. “Blockchain trading is transparent, traceable, and bad actors leave their mark,” the company writes, without indicating whether the people depositing their funds know this.

“We are working with law enforcement on their investigation,” Google spokeswoman Jacqueline Vasquez said in a statement. Edge. “The employee accessed our marketing materials using a tool available to all employees, but using such confidential information to place bets is a serious violation of our policies. We have placed the employee on leave and will take appropriate action.”