DOJ Charges Google Engineer Over $1.2M Polymarket Trades Using Search Data

U.S. prosecutors say Google software engineer Michele Spagnuolo used confidential internal search rankings to trade Polymarket contracts and earned more than $1.2 million. The complaint alleges he put about $2.75 million at risk from Oct. 15, 2025, to Dec. 4, 2025, tied to Google's 2025 "Year in Search" results. The matter also includes a CFTC civil case seeking penalties and potential trading bans.