Federal authorities have arrested and charged a US special forces soldier who is accused of making bets on the raid that removed Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro from office. The soldier was identified as Gannon Ken Van Dyke in a news release announcing the indictment.
Van Dyke “bet a total of approximately $33,034” on the Maduro operation on the prediction market platform Polymarket, federal authorities said. He ultimately made more than $409,000 as a result of the bets placed on the US operation, an unsealed indictment alleges. That is a profit of nearly $376,000 — a return of more than 1,100 percent on his wagers.
Authorities said he “participated in the planning and execution of the US military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro.” In total, Van Dyke made approximately 13 bets from December 27, 2025, through the evening of January 26 — the night of the raid.
A soldier who helped execute a high-stakes foreign mission was simultaneously gambling on its outcome. The government is calling it a profound betrayal of trust.
The Charges
Van Dyke was criminally charged with “unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction.”
“The charges arise from an alleged scheme in which Van Dyke used sensitive classified information to make wagers on Polymarket,” the statement from the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York said.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates Polymarket, said it was also hitting Van Dyke with civil charges. The agency said it “seeks restitution, disgorgement, civil monetary penalties, trading and registration bans, and a permanent injunction against further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations.”
The Justice Department added that following his successful trading relating to Maduro and Venezuela-related contracts, Van Dyke allegedly sent most of his proceeds to a foreign cryptocurrency vault before depositing them into a newly created online brokerage account. On the same day of the operation, Van Dyke withdrew the majority of his allegedly unlawful proceeds from his Polymarket account.
Three days after the Maduro raid, on January 6, federal authorities say Van Dyke “asked Polymarket to delete his Polymarket account, falsely claiming that he had lost access to the email address.” That attempt to erase his digital footprint did not succeed.
The Platform’s Response
In a statement, prediction site Polymarket said, “When we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ and cooperated with their investigation.”
“Insider trading has no place on Polymarket,” the company added in a post on X. “Today’s arrest is proof the system works.”
The company also noted that last month it published enhanced market integrity rules to combat insider trading. Polymarket is presenting itself as a responsible actor that helped catch a criminal. But the fact that a US soldier was able to place 13 bets on a classified military operation before the platform flagged the activity raises questions about how effective those integrity rules actually are.
The Political Reaction
Asked about the arrest during an unrelated event in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump told reporters that he does not like the concept of betting. “I don’t know about it,” Trump said. “I’ll look into it.”
Trump added that it was “like Pete Rose betting on his own team” — a reference to the baseball legend banned from the sport for gambling on games he played in and managed. “The whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino,” Trump added when asked more generally about betting markets and bets placed on major geopolitical events. “I’m not happy with any of that stuff.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche took a sharper tone. “Our men and women in uniform are trusted with classified information in order to accomplish their mission as safely and effectively as possible,” he said, “and are prohibited from using this highly sensitive information for personal financial gain.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the indictment “makes clear no one is above the law, and this FBI will do whatever it takes to defend the homeland and safeguard our nation’s secrets.”
The Broader Implications
The case against Van Dyke is not just about one soldier’s greed. It is about the integrity of classified information and the trust placed in those who handle it. A special forces soldier participating in the planning and execution of a sensitive overseas mission is expected to keep that information confidential. Using it to place bets — and making nearly $400,000 in the process — is a violation of that trust at the highest level.
The fact that the bets were placed on Polymarket, a prediction market platform, adds a modern twist. Traditional insider trading involves stocks and securities. Van Dyke allegedly traded on the outcome of a military operation. The legal framework for that kind of conduct is still being tested. The Justice Department is arguing that it falls under existing fraud and theft statutes.
Van Dyke’s alleged attempt to delete his account and move proceeds to a foreign crypto vault suggests he knew what he was doing was wrong. The question now is what sentence he will face.
The Bottom Line
US special forces soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke has been arrested and charged with using classified information about the Maduro raid to place bets on Polymarket. He allegedly bet approximately $33,034 on the operation and made more than $409,000. He participated in the planning and execution of the raid, according to federal authorities. He made 13 bets between December 27, 2025, and January 26, 2026 — the night of the operation.
Van Dyke faces criminal charges, including unlawful use of confidential government information, theft of nonpublic information, commodities fraud, and wire fraud. The CFTC has filed separate civil charges. Polymarket says it referred the matter to the DOJ after identifying the suspicious trading. President Trump compared the conduct to Pete Rose betting on his own team.
