US Soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke Charged Over $409,000 Venezuela Bet on Polymarket
A US special forces soldier has been arrested and charged after allegedly using classified military intelligence to bet on the removal of Venezuela's former leader, Nicolas Maduro. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, is accused by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) of making trades on Polymarket, a crypto-powered platform, with foreknowledge of 'Operation Absolute Resolve'.
Van Dyke reportedly won more than USD#409,000 as a result of his bets. Justice Department officials stated, "That is clear insider trading and is illegal under federal law." US forces captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their Caracas compound on 3 January, transporting them to New York to face allegations of weapon and drug offences, which they deny.
The DOJ alleges that Van Dyke created a Polymarket account around 26 December 2025 and began trading on Maduro and Venezuela-related markets. He is accused of wagering over USD#33,000 while possessing sensitive, nonpublic information about the military operation, which he was involved in planning and execution from 8 December 2025 to at least 6 January 2026. Van Dyke had previously signed non-disclosure agreements prohibiting the divulgence of classified military information for personal gain.
Polymarket stated on social media that it referred the matter to the DOJ and cooperated with their investigation upon identifying a user trading on classified government information, asserting that "insider trading has no place on Polymarket."
Van Dyke faces an indictment unsealed on Thursday, including charges of unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has also filed a complaint against him for insider trading. Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasised that federal laws protecting national security information apply fully to prediction markets, which "are not a haven for using misappropriated confidential or classified information for personal gain."
