US Green Beret Arrested for Using Classified Data to Profit $400K on Polymarket Bets

A U.S. Army Special Forces master sergeant has been arrested on charges that he used classified information from a military operation to place winning bets on the prediction market platform Polymarket, earning more than $400,000.

Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke was involved in the planning and execution of Operation Absolute Resolve, the January 2026 mission that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to the Department of Justice.

Prosecutors allege that Van Dyke wagered approximately $33,000 across multiple bets on Polymarket in the days leading up to the operation, using his access to confidential government information about the impending raid.

Following the successful mission, his bets paid out, resulting in winnings exceeding $400,000, which authorities say he attempted to conceal.

The Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Van Dyke with unlawful use of confidential government information, theft of nonpublic government information, wire fraud, and commodities fraud.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has filed a parallel civil complaint against him for allegedly using insider information to manipulate the prediction market.

Polymarket stated that it flagged the suspicious trading activity internally and cooperated fully with federal investigators following the alerts.

The case has intensified scrutiny of prediction markets, particularly in relation to their use during times of geopolitical conflict.

During the U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran in early 2026, prediction and financial markets saw a surge in large, well-timed wagers tied to battlefield developments, including strikes, ceasefires, and diplomatic announcements.