A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier has been charged after allegedly using classified information from a military operation to place profitable bets on an online prediction market linked to the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The Department of Justice said 38-year-old Gannon Ken Van Dyke of Fayetteville, North Carolina, allegedly made more than $400,000 using the platform Polymarket. Prosecutors claim he used insider knowledge about a covert U.S. operation in Venezuela to wager on outcomes involving American military action in Caracas and Maduro’s removal from power.
Authorities allege the bets were placed shortly before and during a January 3 operation in which U.S. forces arrested Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and transported them to New York to face drug-related charges.
Officials said Van Dyke had direct involvement in planning and executing the mission and allegedly exploited that access for personal financial gain through prediction markets.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said members of the military are entrusted with classified information strictly for operational purposes and are prohibited from using it for personal profit.
Polymarket said it identified the suspicious activity, reported the user to authorities, and cooperated fully with the investigation, adding that insider trading is not tolerated on its platform.
The company described the arrest as evidence that enforcement systems are working.
Van Dyke faces multiple charges, including wire fraud, unlawful monetary transactions, and violations of the Commodity Exchange Act. If convicted, he could face significant prison time.
The case adds to growing concerns about the misuse of sensitive government information in financial markets tied to political and military events.
