US Soldier Arrested for Insider Betting on Maduro Capture

Fri Apr 24 2026 10:23:18 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A US special forces soldier has been charged after allegedly gambling on classified information regarding the capture of Venezuela's former leader, Nicolas Maduro, winning over $400,000.

Gannon Ken Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier from Fort Bragg, faces several criminal charges for allegedly betting on the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro using classified information. He made over $409,000 on Polymarket, a crypto-based betting platform, raising serious concerns about insider trading. The Department of Justice emphasizes the illegality of utilizing sensitive information for personal financial gain, with US officials condemning the act as a breach of trust in the military. Van Dyke's case underscores regulatory scrutiny over prediction markets in relation to national security.

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 Venezuela's former 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, said justice department officials.

Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier in the US Army stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, won more than $409,000 (£303,702) from his bets.

US forces seized Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their compound in Caracas during a dramatic night-time raid on 3 January and brought them to New York to face allegations of weapon and drug offences, 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, making bets over $33,000 (£24,500) while in possession of classified nonpublic information about Operation Absolute Resolve.

Polymarket stated that it referred the matter to the DOJ after identifying a user trading on classified government information.

Van Dyke has been 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, as outlined in an indictment unsealed on Thursday.

Our men and women in uniform are trusted with classified information to accomplish their mission as safely and effectively as possible, and are prohibited from using this highly sensitive information for personal financial gain, commented acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche.

The case raises questions about the regulation of prediction markets and their potential to facilitate insider trading.