US Soldier Charged with Earning $560,000 from Bets on Maduro’s Removal
- Army Special Forces soldier has been charged with using classified information to profit from bets on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, federal prosecutors announced.
- Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a 38-year-old master sergeant, was involved in the planning and execution of the operation to capture Maduro in January 2026.
- Prosecutors allege Van Dyke made approximately $400,000 in winnings, equivalent to about $560,000 Australian dollars, through these bets.
A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier has been charged with using classified information to profit from bets on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, federal prosecutors announced.
Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a 38-year-old master sergeant, was involved in the planning and execution of the operation to capture Maduro in January 2026. In the weeks leading up to the raid, he used sensitive government information to place bets on the prediction market Polymarket, wagering that U.S. Forces would enter Venezuela and that Maduro would be removed from power.
Prosecutors allege Van Dyke made approximately $400,000 in winnings, equivalent to about $560,000 Australian dollars, through these bets. He created a Polymarket account in late December 2025 and placed around 13 bets on outcomes including U.S. Forces being in Venezuela and Maduro being out of power by January 31, 2026.
The charges against Van Dyke include unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction. These charges stem from his alleged use of classified details accessed during his role in the Maduro capture mission.
Federal officials stated that Van Dyke had signed nondisclosure agreements promising not to disclose any classified or sensitive information related to the operation. Despite these obligations, he is accused of exploiting his access for personal financial gain.
After the operation, investigators allege Van Dyke transferred most of his winnings into a foreign cryptocurrency vault and then moved the funds into a new brokerage account. FBI Director Kash Patel commented that the case demonstrates that no one is above the law, emphasizing that clearance holders who attempt to profit from classified information will be held accountable.
Van Dyke is expected to appear before a judge in North Carolina later on Thursday, local time. The case marks the first time the Department of Justice has brought insider trading charges involving a prediction market.
The Maduro capture operation occurred in early January 2026, resulting in the former Venezuelan leader’s detention. Maduro has since faced legal proceedings in the United States on charges including narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons offenses, to which he has pleaded not guilty.