Google Engineer Charged with Insider Trading

The U.S. Justice Department has charged a Google software engineer with insider trading, alleging the employee made $1.2 million on Polymarket based on confidential business information.

The U.S. Justice Department charged Google software engineer Michele Spagnuolo with insider trading, alleging the employee made $1.2 million trading on Polymarket based on confidential business information.

Spagnuolo, who used the name "AlphaRaccoon" on Polymarket, has worked at Google for over 12 years, according to information on LinkedIn.

"As alleged, Spagnuolo violated the duties he owed to his employer and used Google’s confidential business information to make more than $1.2 million in trading profits on Polymarket," Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a press release.

Prediction markets like Polymarket, Kalshi, and others allow users to bet on pretty much anything. Insider trading is not allowed on these platforms because it's illegal, but some users still commit the offense.

The Justice Department recently charged a U.S. Army soldier for allegedly using his insider knowledge of the U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro to make $400,000 on Polymarket.

According to the complaint, Spagnuolo risked over $2.7 million on wagers related to Google's 2025 Year in Search, a marketing campaign in which Google reveals the world's most popular searches of the year. Spagnuolo allegedly accessed confidential, internal Google Search data about the most-searched celebrities to inform his bets.

"Polymarket worked closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the CFTC, and is the only prediction platform to date whose cooperation has led to insider trading charges in the United States," a Polymarket spokesperson told TechCrunch. "Blockchain trading is transparent, traceable, and bad actors leave footprints. We are committed to maintaining accurate, fair, and transparent markets as well as enforcing our rules and working with our regulators and law enforcement."

A Google spokesperson told TechCrunch the company is working with law enforcement on its investigation.

"The employee accessed our marketing material using a tool available to all employees, but using such confidential information to place bets is a serious breach of our policies," Google said in an emailed statement. "We’ve placed the employee on leave and will take the appropriate action."

The case highlights the risks of insider trading on prediction markets, where users can access confidential information and use it to make profits. It also underscores the importance of cooperation between regulators and companies in preventing and investigating such offenses.

Insider trading compromises the integrity of our markets, and the American people want this greed-driven conduct investigated and prosecuted.

The U.S. Justice Department has charged Michele Spagnuolo, a Google software engineer, with insider trading, alleging the employee made $1.2 million trading on Polymarket based on confidential business information.

• The case marks the first time a prediction platform has cooperated with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and led to insider trading charges in the United States.

• Spagnuolo risked over $2.7 million on wagers related to Google's 2025 Year in Search, a marketing campaign in which Google reveals the world's most popular searches of the year.

• The case highlights the importance of cooperation between regulators and companies in preventing and investigating insider trading offenses.