Google engineer charged with insider Polymarket bets poised to lose millions in stock grants: report

Nypost · Jun 01, 2026 · 462 words · By Thomas Barrabi

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Ready to play

Daily briefing

What to know about Google engineer charged with insider Polymarket bets poised to lose millions in stock grants: report

Google engineer charged with insider Polymarket bets poised to lose millions in stock grants: report See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Google engineer charged with insider Polymarket bets poised to lose millions in stock grants: report See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleThe Google engineer charged with illegally using inside information to win bets on Polymarket could end up losing millions of dollars in stock and other compensation after his arrest, according to a report published Monday.

Common ground

Michele Spagnuolo, a 36-year-old software engineer, was charged by the Department of Justice last week with wire fraud and money laundering after allegedly earning $1.2 million through his scheme – which involved using nonpublic Google data to win bets on…

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Google engineer charged with insider Polymarket bets poised to lose millions in stock grants: report?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that allegedly earning $1.2 million through his scheme – which involved using nonpublic Google data to win bets on which celebrities, such as rapper Kendrick Lamar, would appear among the “most-searched” people in the world?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/01/business/google-engineer-charged-with-insider-poly…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 2

verified Verified 1

check_circle

Claim 1: “allegedly earning $1.2 million through his scheme – which involved using nonpublic Google data to win bets on which celebrities, such as rapper Kendrick Lamar, would appear among the “most-searched” people in the world.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the allegation that Spagnuolo earned $1.2 million by using nonpublic Google search data to place bets on Polymarket regarding most-searched people.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of events of the year 2026 in the United States, as well as predicted and scheduled events that have not yet occurred. July 4, 2026, will be the 250th anniversary of the signin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_the_United_States

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A Google Engineer Used Confidential Search Data to Win $1.2 Million on Polymarket, Feds Say — His Best Bet Involved an Alleged Killer.Google employee charged with using insider data to rig bets on Pol…
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Spagnuolo used the account name “AlphaRaccoon” on Polymarket and traded in large sums on the platform, according to the complaint. From October to December of last year, Spagnuolo allegedly wagered ap…
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-wall-street-journal_a-goo…

+ 1 more evidence source

check_circle

Claim 2: “Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York allege that Spagnuolo, who lives in Switzerland, placed bets worth $2.7 million between Oct. 15 and Dec. 4 of last year.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the charges were brought by the Southern District of New York, that he resides in Switzerland, and that he placed approximately $2.7 million in bets between October 15 and December 4.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 ... BREAKING: A Google engineer who's worked at the company since 2014 has been charged by federal prosecutors with using confidential information ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DY315s3x7xa/?hl=en

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 ... ... Southern District of New York charged Michele Spagnuolo, a Google software engineer based out of Switzerland, with commodities fraud, wire ...
https://www.instagram.com/p/DY5JLVzGXZW/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York allege that Spagnuolo, who lives in Switzerland, placed bets worth $2.7 million between Oct. 15 and Dec. 4 ...
https://www.aol.com/articles/google-engineer-charged-insider…

check_circle

Claim 3: “Spagnuolo – who used the alias “AlphaRaccoon” on Polymarket – was promoted several times during his 12-year stint at Google”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web sources confirm he used the alias 'AlphaRaccoon' on Polymarket and had worked at Google for over 12 years.

menu_book

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Spagnuolo – who used the alias “AlphaRaccoon” on Polymarket – was promoted several times during his 12-year stint at Google, which awards stock grants in addition to high salaries for its workers.Mich…
https://nypost.com/2026/06/01/business/google-engineer-charg…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The defendant, Michele Spagnuolo, 36, an Italian citizen residing in Switzerland who had worked at Google for more than 12 years, operated on Polymarket under the alias “AlphaRaccoon.”
https://easternherald.com/2026/05/28/google-engineer-insider…

+ 1 more evidence source

help

Claim 4: “Van Dyke, who was said to be directly involved in the operation, allegedly won more than $400,000 through the illicit wagers.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results or cross-references regarding Gannon Ken Van Dyke's alleged winnings.

check_circle

Claim 5: “He netted $1.2 million in profits on the wagers.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the alleged profit of $1.2 million from the wagers.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 4, 2026 ... Michele Spagnuolo, an Italian software engineer residing in Switzerland, is accused of using his position within the company to wager $2,754,092 ...
https://www.bgr.com/2187788/fbi-google-engineer-polymarket-m…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2026 ... Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York allege that Spagnuolo, who lives in Switzerland, placed bets worth $2.7 million between Oct. 15 ...
https://nypost.com/2026/06/01/business/google-engineer-charg…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 ... ... Polymarket, netting more than $1.2 million in profits ... Using the Polymarket username "AlphaRaccoon," Spagnuolo was accused of correctly betting ...
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/polymarket-google-employee-insi…

info

Claim 6: “Spagnuolo was placed on leave after the charges against him were announced”

SINGLE SOURCE

One source explicitly states that a Google spokesperson confirmed Spagnuolo has been placed on leave.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Giuseppe Maria Crespi (14 March 1665 – 16 July 1747), nicknamed Lo Spagnuolo ('The Spaniard'), was an Italian late Baroque painter of the Bolognese School. His eclectic output includes religious paint…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Crespi

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — JSONP, or JSON-P (JSON with Padding), is a JavaScript technique for requesting data via the <script> HTML element. It was proposed by Bob Ippolito in 2005. JSONP enables sharing of data bypassing same…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSONP

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 7: “His most recent title is “staff information security engineer,” according to his LinkedIn account.”

VERIFIED

A web search result specifically identifies a LinkedIn profile for Michele Spagnuolo as a 'Staff Information Security Engineer at Google'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — I currently lead the Agent & Web Observability area in the Information Security team, building infrastructure to maintain an inventory of AI agents across ...
https://ch.linkedin.com/in/michelespagnuolo

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 ... SPAGNUOLO is a software engineer at Google. In connection with his role, SPAGNUOLO had access to Google's internal data systems, including an ...
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/google-employee-charged…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 ... A Google information security engineer named Michele Spagnuolo was taken into custody in New York on May 27, 2026, on allegations that he ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DY315s3x7xa/?hl=en

info

Claim 8: “Google shares are trading above $370 as of Monday – up from about $30 when Spagnuolo was first hired in 2014.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific stock price comparison ($370 vs $30) is found in one specific news report. While the general stock trend is a matter of public record, the specific phrasing and timing are only corroborated by one source in the provided evidence.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Blue Monday" is a song by the English rock band New Order. It was released as a 12-inch single on 7 March 1983 through Factory Records. It appears on certain cassette and CD versions of New Order's s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Monday_(New_Order_song)

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cyber Monday is a marketing term for the Monday after Thanksgiving in the United States, to encourage e-commerce and online shopping. It is closely related to Black Friday, which occurs three days bef…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_Monday

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store or Play Store, and formerly known as the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Play

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 9: “Michele Spagnuolo, a 36-year-old software engineer, was charged by the Department of Justice last week with wire fraud and money laundering”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources and a cross-reference confirm that Michele Spagnuolo was charged by the US Department of Justice with wire fraud, money laundering, and commodities fraud.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Blockchain analysis is the process of inspecting, identifying, clustering, modeling and visually representing data on a cryptographic distributed-ledger known as a blockchain. The goal of blockchain a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain_analysis

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Genovese crime family (Italian: [dʒenoˈveːze, -eːse]), also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genovese_crime_family

+ 4 more evidence sources

help

Claim 10: “In April, prosecutors arrested and charged a US Army Special Forces soldier, Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, for placing bets on the successful operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro using “sensitive, nonpublic, classified information.””

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results or cross-references regarding Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.