US Special Forces Soldier Charged Over Alleged Insider Betting on Maduro Capture Operation

Mintesinot Niggusie

A US special forces soldier has been arrested and charged with using classified military information to place bets on a prediction market tied to the timing and outcome of a covert operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Gannon Ken Van Dyke is an active-duty US Army soldier stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

He is accused by the US Department of Justice of trading on Polymarket using nonpublic information connected to “Operation Absolute Resolve,” a classified mission involving the seizure of Maduro in Caracas in January. Federal prosecutors allege that Van Dyke created a Polymarket account on or around December 26, 2025.

He began placing wagers on markets linked to Venezuela and Maduro while he had access to sensitive operational details. He is said to have made bets exceeding 33,000 US dollars during the period between early December and early January, before and during the execution phase of the operation.

Authorities say the trades generated more than 409,000 US dollars in profit. Van Dyke is charged with wire fraud, commodities fraud, unlawful use of government information, theft of nonpublic government information and making an unlawful monetary transaction.

Prosecutors allege his conduct violated nondisclosure obligations signed by all service members handling classified material, which prohibit disclosure or misuse of operational intelligence for personal gain. Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said military personnel are entrusted with classified information strictly for operational purposes.

US Attorney Jay Clayton, whose office is prosecuting the case, said prediction markets cannot serve as a channel for exploiting confidential government information. Van Dyke is also accused of participating in the planning and execution of the Venezuela operation.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has filed a separate civil complaint alleging insider trading violations linked to the same activity. Polymarket said it detected the activity and referred the case to US authorities.