U.S. Special Forces Soldier Charged with Insider Trading Over Maduro Capture

A U.S. Army Master Sergeant has been arrested and charged with multiple federal crimes for allegedly using classified information to make over $400,000 through online betting. The soldier, who was involved in a secretive U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early 2026, reportedly used details from the mission to place 13 strategic bets on the prediction market site Polymarket. These bets included predictions about U.S. forces being in Venezuela and Maduro's removal by a specific date.

The Department of Justice accuses the soldier of theft of nonpublic government information, wire fraud, commodities fraud, and making unlawful monetary transactions, among other charges. According to federal prosecutors, he funneled his winnings into a foreign crypto vault and later transferred the funds to a brokerage account, then requested Polymarket to delete his account. The soldier, a senior special forces member stationed at Fort Bragg, had signed nondisclosure agreements barring the release of sensitive information. FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized that even individuals with security clearances will be held accountable for misuse of classified data.

The arrest marks the first instance of the Department of Justice prosecuting a case of insider trading on a prediction market. Polymarket, the world's largest prediction platform, allows traders to anonymously bet on future events using event contracts based on yes or no questions.