On May 28, 2026, U.S. federal prosecutors brought charges against Michele Spagnuolo, a software engineer at Google, alleging fraud and money laundering. The indictment states that Spagnuolo illegally amassed profits of $1.2 million (approximately RMB 8.13 million) by leveraging Google's confidential 2025 search data to place bets on the most searched personality of the year on the prediction market platform Polymarket. Spagnuolo has made a court appearance and was subsequently released on a $2.25 million bail. Google has confirmed that Spagnuolo has been placed on suspension and is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
