Special Operations Soldier Indicted for Allegedly Using Classified Info to Bet on Maduro Capture

The special operations soldier who was indicted for allegedly using classified information to bet on the capture of Nicolás Maduro appeared in a courtroom Friday.

Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a U.S. Army soldier, made his first court appearance following charges related to his alleged use of sensitive government information to place bets on Polymarket, a prediction market platform, regarding the timing of a U.S. Military operation to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from office.

According to the Justice Department, Van Dyke participated in the planning and execution of the operation, referred to as “Operation Absolute Resolve,” and used his access to classified details about the mission to place approximately 13 bets between December 27, 2025, and January 26, 2026.

Authorities said Van Dyke wagered a total of approximately $33,034 on Polymarket, which resulted in profits exceeding $409,000 after Maduro’s apprehension and transport aboard the USS Iwo Jima.

The indictment unsealed Thursday charges Van Dyke with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that service members are entrusted with classified information to carry out missions safely and effectively, not for personal financial gain.

“Widespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply,” Blanche said in a statement released by the Justice Department.

After the bets were placed and reports emerged of unusual trading activity linked to the operation, Van Dyke allegedly attempted to conceal his actions by trying to delete his Polymarket account and change the email address associated with his cryptocurrency exchange account.

Van Dyke was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian S. Meyers in the Eastern District of North Carolina on Friday. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett in the Southern District of New York.