A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who helped plan and carry out the daring capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has been hit with federal charges for allegedly using top-secret information to cash in big on the Polymarket prediction platform.
Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, allegedly turned his insider knowledge of the high-risk operation into more than $409,000 in winnings.
According to a federal indictment unsealed in New York, Van Dyke made 13 separate bets between late December 2025 and late January 2026 — with the final wager placed just hours before the overnight raid that took Maduro into custody.
He reportedly put down $33,034 on Maduro being captured by U.S. forces in January, scoring massive profits when the mission succeeded. Prosecutors say he participated directly in the planning and execution of the operation that brought Maduro and his wife to the United States to face drug trafficking charges.
Hours after the successful raid, a photo uploaded to Van Dyke’s Google account allegedly showed him standing on the deck of the USS Iwo Jima in full military fatigues, rifle in hand, at sunrise — right after Maduro was transported aboard the Navy ship.
To cover his tracks, authorities say, Van Dyke moved most of the winnings through a foreign cryptocurrency vault, then tried to delete his Polymarket account three days later. He falsely claimed he had lost access to the associated email address.
He now faces five serious federal charges: unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction. If convicted, he could spend years in prison.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has also filed civil charges against him. Polymarket responded quickly, stating, “Insider trading has no place on Polymarket,” and noting that today’s arrest proves the system works when suspicious activity is flagged.
President Trump addressed the case, comparing it to Pete Rose betting on baseball and saying he’s never been a fan of turning global events into a “casino.” He added, “The whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino. I’m not happy with any of that stuff.”
FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized that “nobody is above the law” and vowed the bureau will do whatever it takes to protect America’s secrets.
This high-profile case has intensified scrutiny on prediction markets and raised fresh concerns about government and military personnel using classified details for personal profit. Van Dyke, a Special Forces veteran since 2008 with access to highly sensitive information, is expected to appear in federal court as the case moves forward.