D4vd is at the center of a surprising federal case involving a Google employee accused of using confidential search data to make lucrative prediction market bets.
Prosecutors allege Michele Spagnuolo had an unfair advantage after accessing internal Google search analytics unavailable to the public.
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The 36-year-old information security engineer worked at Google. Authorities claim he used privileged data to place profitable wagers on Polymarket, a popular prediction platform.
One of his most notable bets involved D4vd. According to prosecutors, Spagnuolo wagered that the singer would become Google’s most-searched person of 2025 at a time when the market viewed the outcome as highly unlikely.
Using an account named “AlphaRaccoon,” he allegedly collected a substantial payout after Google published its Year in Search 2025 rankings on December 4. Investigators estimate the trades generated roughly $1.2 million in profit.
“Unlike the counterparties to his trades, Spagnuolo knew the outcome of these wagers before the trading public did,” prosecutors wrote.
The singer, whose real name is David Burke, became one of the year’s most-searched names following his April arrest in Los Angeles. He faces charges including first-degree murder and continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14.
Spagnuolo has been charged with commodities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. He was arrested in New York on May 27 and later released on a $2.25 million bond.
Google said it is cooperating with investigators and described the alleged misuse of company data as a serious matter.
