Insider data meets illegal gambling.
A Google engineer in Switzerland allegedly turned insider data into a million-dollar betting spree, rigging online markets with the secret knowledge that singer D4vd would become 2025’s most-searched person.
Federal prosecutors unsealed a complaint Wednesday charging Michele Spagnuolo with wire fraud, commodities fraud, and money laundering.
Using the handle “AlphaRaccoon” on Polymarket, he allegedly placed nearly two point eight million in wagers after accessing Google’s confidential “Year in Search” tallies on Nov. 27.
Learning that D4vd had overtaken Kendrick Lamar, Spagnuolo bet on the longshot while the market gave him “near-zero” odds.
He also wagered against Donald Trump, Pope Leo XIV, and Bianca Censori, ultimately pocketing over one point two million with “near-perfect accuracy.”
The FBI alleges he betrayed his employer’s trust for greed.
Spagnuolo remains in custody in Brooklyn as authorities vow to hold him accountable for his clandestine, data-driven crime.
