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, on the basis of 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 in a dramatic, night-time raid on 3 January, and brought 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, the justice department said in a statement on Thursday. The DOJ alleges that on or about 26 December 2025, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and began trading on Maduro and Venezuela-related markets. He is accused of making bets of more than $33,000 while in possession of classified nonpublic information about Operation Absolute Resolve.
In a statement posted on social media on Thursday, Polymarket said: When we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ & cooperated with their investigation. The company added: Insider trading has no place on Polymarket. Today's arrest is proof the system works.
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, according to an indictment unsealed on Thursday. The case will proceed in the Southern District of New York, where it has drawn attention regarding the role of prediction markets and insider trading laws.
US Attorney Jay Clayton emphasized that prediction markets are not a haven for using misappropriated confidential or classified information for personal gain, underlining that federal laws protecting national security information fully apply. As the investigation unfolds, it raises critical questions about the integrity of classified information and its potential exploitation in the realm of financial markets.
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 in a dramatic, night-time raid on 3 January, and brought 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, the justice department said in a statement on Thursday. The DOJ alleges that on or about 26 December 2025, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and began trading on Maduro and Venezuela-related markets. He is accused of making bets of more than $33,000 while in possession of classified nonpublic information about Operation Absolute Resolve.
In a statement posted on social media on Thursday, Polymarket said: When we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ & cooperated with their investigation. The company added: Insider trading has no place on Polymarket. Today's arrest is proof the system works.
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, according to an indictment unsealed on Thursday. The case will proceed in the Southern District of New York, where it has drawn attention regarding the role of prediction markets and insider trading laws.
US Attorney Jay Clayton emphasized that prediction markets are not a haven for using misappropriated confidential or classified information for personal gain, underlining that federal laws protecting national security information fully apply. As the investigation unfolds, it raises critical questions about the integrity of classified information and its potential exploitation in the realm of financial markets.
