In the United States, Michele Spagnuolo, a software engineer at Google, was arrested and charged with insider trading violations in connection with his activities on the prediction market platform Polymarket. The authorities allege that from October to December of the previous year, Spagnuolo utilized internal Google marketing materials to place lucrative bets, amassing profits exceeding $1.2 million. His access to nonpublic and commercially valuable Google data allowed him to predict trends that the wider public had yet to recognize, thereby giving him a significant advantage in making bets. The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI worked collaboratively to investigate and apprehend Spagnuolo, leading to his arrest in May 2026. Following the arrest, Spagnuolo was granted a $2.25 million bond but was placed on leave by Google. Court documents revealed that he placed bets under the username 'AlphaRaccoon', and his most notable successful wager was predicting that D4vd, a musician now tied to a serious legal case, would become the most searched person on Google in 2025. The investigation highlighted both Polymarket's cooperation with authorities and the broader implications of corporate insider trading on market integrity. Google has affirmed its cooperation with the investigation, stating that his actions severely breached company policies and ethical standards. This case marks one of the first significant criminal cases related to insider trading on prediction markets, indicating an emerging focus on preventing such practices in the future. The U.S. Attorney emphasized the seriousness of using privileged information from corporate entities to profit within markets, stressing the need for accountability in financial practices and the protection of market integrity.