US EditionUS soldier charged with making $400,000 on Maduro removal bets
Prosecutors say Gannon Ken Van Dyke used classified information from a Venezuela raid to turn $33,034 in bets into about $400,000.
- On Thursday, federal prosecutors arrested U.S. Army Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, accusing him of using classified information about Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's capture to win more than $400,000 on Polymarket.
- Van Dyke, an active-duty special forces soldier, was involved in planning Operation Absolute Resolve beginning December 8, 2025. Before the January 3 raid, he placed 13 bets totaling $33,034 on 'YES' outcomes regarding U.S. intervention in Venezuela.
- Polymarket identified the suspicious trades and referred the matter to the DOJ, cooperating with the investigation. Prosecutors allege Van Dyke then moved his winnings through a foreign cryptocurrency 'vault' before depositing funds into a new brokerage account.
- FBI Director Kash Patel stated, 'Any clearance holders thinking of cashing in their access and knowledge for personal gain will be held accountable.' The case marks the first criminal prosecution of insider trading on a prediction market.
- President Donald Trump remarked, 'The whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino,' as lawmakers advance the Public Integrity in Financial Prediction Markets Act of 2026 to regulate official trading on such platforms.
290 Articles
290 Articles
American soldier arrested over Polymarket wagers tied to Maduro’s capture
Federal authorities have arrested an American soldier who allegedly used confidential information to place a series of wagers on the capture of then-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro through the prediction market platform Polymarket. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a 38-year-old soldier in the U.S. Army who was involved in the planning of Maduro’s capture, allegedly placed more than a dozen wagers on Polymarket tied to the operation, the Justice Department …
A 38-year-old American commando has been arrested for insider betting on the departure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. This is reported by the…
Gannon Ken Van Dyke, the 38-year-old American soldier, allegedly "participated in the planning and execution" of the operation that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela in early January. He faces up to 50 years in prison.
According to the US Department of Justice, the soldier was involved in the 'planning and execution' of the military operation in which the former president of Venezuela was captured.
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