A US special forces soldier involved in the military operation that captured Nicolas Maduro has been arrested after he allegedly bet on the removal of the former Venezuelan leader before the information was publicly available. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged Gannon Ken Van Dyke after he allegedly made trades on Polymarket, a crypto-powered platform, based on classified information.
'That is clear insider trading and is illegal under federal law,' justice department officials said. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier in the US Army stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, won more than $409,000 (£303,702) as a result of his bets.
US forces seized Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their compound in Caracas on 3 January and flew them to New York to face allegations of weapon and drug offenses, which they deny. Van Dyke allegedly placed bets on the timing and outcome of the operation known as Operation Absolute Resolve, 'all to turn a profit', according to the DOJ.
On or about 26 December 2025, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and began trading on Maduro and Venezuela-related markets, placing bets of over $33,000 while in possession of classified nonpublic information about the operation.
In a statement, Polymarket said: 'When we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ & cooperated with their investigation.'
Van Dyke has been charged with unlawful use of confidential government information, theft of nonpublic information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction according to an unsealed indictment.
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that servicemen and women are prohibited from using sensitive information for personal financial gain, adding that 'Widespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply.'
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has also filed a complaint against Van Dyke for insider trading. President Donald Trump, when questioned about betting concerns, stated he would look into the matter and expressed his disapproval of betting practices.
'That is clear insider trading and is illegal under federal law,' justice department officials said. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier in the US Army stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, won more than $409,000 (£303,702) as a result of his bets.
US forces seized Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their compound in Caracas on 3 January and flew them to New York to face allegations of weapon and drug offenses, which they deny. Van Dyke allegedly placed bets on the timing and outcome of the operation known as Operation Absolute Resolve, 'all to turn a profit', according to the DOJ.
On or about 26 December 2025, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and began trading on Maduro and Venezuela-related markets, placing bets of over $33,000 while in possession of classified nonpublic information about the operation.
In a statement, Polymarket said: 'When we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ & cooperated with their investigation.'
Van Dyke has been charged with unlawful use of confidential government information, theft of nonpublic information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction according to an unsealed indictment.
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that servicemen and women are prohibited from using sensitive information for personal financial gain, adding that 'Widespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply.'
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has also filed a complaint against Van Dyke for insider trading. President Donald Trump, when questioned about betting concerns, stated he would look into the matter and expressed his disapproval of betting practices.
