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 stated. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, is reported to have won more than $409,000 as a result of his bets. US forces seized Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their compound in Caracas during a night-time raid on January 3, bringing them to New York to face accusations of weapon and drug offenses, which they deny.
The indictment alleges that Van Dyke placed bets on the timing and outcome of the operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, with the intent to profit. On or about December 26, 2025, he is accused of creating a Polymarket account and making bets exceeding $33,000 while possessing classified information regarding the operation.
Polymarket stated that they had referred the issue to the DOJ upon identifying the user trading on classified government information. Van Dyke faces multiple charges, including unlawful use of confidential government information, commodities fraud, and wire fraud, as per the indictment unsealed on Thursday. Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that military personnel are trusted with sensitive information to execute their missions safely and are prohibited from exploiting this information for personal gain. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has also filed a complaint against Van Dyke for insider trading.
President Donald Trump, when asked about the situation, indicated he would look into it and expressed dissatisfaction with the betting culture, stating, The whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino.\
That is clear insider trading and is illegal under federal law, justice department officials stated. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, is reported to have won more than $409,000 as a result of his bets. US forces seized Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their compound in Caracas during a night-time raid on January 3, bringing them to New York to face accusations of weapon and drug offenses, which they deny.
The indictment alleges that Van Dyke placed bets on the timing and outcome of the operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, with the intent to profit. On or about December 26, 2025, he is accused of creating a Polymarket account and making bets exceeding $33,000 while possessing classified information regarding the operation.
Polymarket stated that they had referred the issue to the DOJ upon identifying the user trading on classified government information. Van Dyke faces multiple charges, including unlawful use of confidential government information, commodities fraud, and wire fraud, as per the indictment unsealed on Thursday. Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that military personnel are trusted with sensitive information to execute their missions safely and are prohibited from exploiting this information for personal gain. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has also filed a complaint against Van Dyke for insider trading.
President Donald Trump, when asked about the situation, indicated he would look into it and expressed dissatisfaction with the betting culture, stating, The whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino.\
