Michele Spagnuolo, a Google software engineer, was arrested after she allegedly turned secret company data into a $1.2 million jackpot by betting on troubled rapper D4vd through prediction platform Polymarket, according to explosive federal charges unsealed in New York.
Prosecutors accused the Italian national employed of using confidential internal search information to place winning wagers before the public saw the data. D4vd is currently in a criminal legal battle, alleging he unalived former girlfriend.
Federal authorities charged Spagnuolo with wire fraud, commodities fraud, and money laundering Wednesday. Investigators claim he used a Polymarket account called “AlphaRaccoon” to gamble on Google’s Year in Search rankings tied to D4vd.
The bets centered on whether the singer would land among Google’s five most-searched people of 2025 and whether he would ultimately claim the No. 1 spot.
According to prosecutors, prediction markets considered the outcome nearly impossible. Polymarket allegedly assigned “a near-zero probability” to D4vd becoming Google’s top searched person.
Behind the scenes, however, investigators said Google’s internal analytics already showed D4vd surpassing Kendrick Lamar in search traffic before the information became public.
Google’s Michele Spagnuolo Arrested & Charged After Winning 1.2 Million Dollar Polymarket Bet On Rapper D4vd
Authorities allege Spagnuolo used that insider knowledge to place less than $1,000 in wagers before cashing out roughly $1.2 million in profits.
Prosecutors also accused the engineer of trying to hide the source of the money after collecting the winnings.
In court filings, investigators alleged Spagnuolo “took deliberate steps to conceal his unlawful use of nonpublic information by attempting to obscure the source and ownership” of the funds.
Spagnuolo appeared before a federal magistrate judge Wednesday but did not enter a plea. The court later released him on a $2.25 million bond pending further proceedings.
The bizarre case also dragged D4vd back into headlines for darker reasons.
The rapper currently sits behind bars while fighting murder charges tied to the April 2025 death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Prosecutors accused D4vd of involvement in the killing, though he has pleaded not guilty.
Federal officials stressed D4vd has not been accused of participating in the alleged betting scheme.
Still, the case intensified scrutiny surrounding prediction markets, insider information, and high-stakes online gambling tied to celebrity culture.
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