Michele Spagnuolo, a 36-year-old Google security engineer, was charged with insider trading for allegedly using confidential Google data to win $1.2 million on the Polymarket decentralized prediction platform. The criminal complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York, details how Spagnuolo accessed internal 'Year in Search' data—marked 'Google Confidential'—to place bets on trending search terms. From October 2025, under the alias 'AlphaRaccoon,' he made approximately 25 bets with near-perfect accuracy, risking $2.75 million. After Google released the public results on December 4, 2025, his account collected $1.2 million in USDC.e. The FBI traced the account to Spagnuolo via a payment processor linked to his Italian ID. He subsequently moved funds through multiple cryptocurrency-swapping services, including one that obscures blockchain trails. The CFTC also filed a civil complaint. Spagnuolo faces up to 10 years for commodities fraud and 20 years each for wire fraud and money laundering.

Key facts

• Michele Spagnuolo used confidential Google 'Year in Search' data to bet on Polymarket.
• He placed 25 bets with near-perfect accuracy, risking $2.75 million.
• Won $1.2 million USDC.e after Google publicly released results on Dec 4, 2025.
• FBI traced his Polymarket account 'AlphaRaccoon' via a payment processor linked to his ID.
• Faces up to 10 years for commodities fraud, 20 years each for wire fraud and money laundering.