AUS Army special forces soldierhas been charged with using classified information about the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to make more than $409,000 (£303,000) in profits on the online prediction market Polymarket.Master Sgt Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, allegedly used his involvement in the planning and execution of a US military operation to place winning bets on the platform.
The indictment unsealed on Thursday alleges he bet approximately $33,000 (£24,500) on contracts related to Maduro's detention. The case has highlighted the risks posed by prediction markets when insiders have access to non-public information about major geopolitical events.
Van Dykewas involved in Operation Absolute Resolve from around December 2025. He had signed nondisclosure agreements and was privy to classified details about the timing of the raid on Maduro's residence in Caracas. On or about 26 December 2025, he opened a Polymarket account and made about 13 bets taking the 'yes' position on outcomes such as Maduro being out of power by 31 January 2026 and US forces being in Venezuela by that date.
The bets were placed while he possessed sensitive information about the impending operation. When US forces carried out the raid in the predawn hours of 3 January 2026, capturing Maduro and his wife, the contracts paid out handsomely. Van Dyke profited approximately $409,881 (£304,423), according to prosecutors.
After the resolution, he quickly moved most of the funds to a foreign cryptocurrency vault before depositing them into a new online brokerage account. He also attempted to cover his tracks by requesting his Polymarket account be deleted.
The operation marked a significant moment in US-Venezuela relations. Hours after the raid, President Trump announced the successful detention of the Venezuelan leader, who was subsequently transported to New York to face federal drug-trafficking charges. Maduro haspleaded not guilty.
Polymarket saw a surge in activity around Venezuela-related contracts in the days before the raid. The platform resolved several bets in favour of 'yes' outcomes once the news broke. The story gained traction on social media.
A verifiedInstagram postby the New York Post stated: 'A US Army Special Forces soldier was arrested Thursday for using classified information about the military operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro to place winning bets on Polymarket and pocket more than $400,000 (£297,085).
Van Dyke is charged with three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, one count of wire fraud and one count of making an unlawful monetary transaction. If convicted, he could face decades behind bars. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche warned: 'Our men and womenin uniform are trusted with classified information in order to accomplish their mission as safely and effectively as possible, and are prohibited from using this highly sensitive information for personal financial gain.'
US Attorney Jay Clayton added that prediction markets 'are not a haven for using misappropriated confidential or classified information for personal gain'. Prosecutors are seeking forfeiture of the profits. The case is assigned to a judge in the Southern District of New York, with Van Dyke's initial court appearance scheduled in North Carolina.
Source: International Business Times UK
