U.S. Soldier Charged with Using Classified Information for Betting on Maduro's Capture

A U.S. Army special forces soldier has been charged with using classified information to place profitable bets on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was involved in planning and executing the January 2026 operation to apprehend Maduro. Federal prosecutors allege that Van Dyke used his access to sensitive information to place bets on Polymarket, an online prediction market, resulting in earnings exceeding $400,000.

According to the indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account in December 2025 and placed 13 bets totaling over $33,000 on outcomes related to Venezuela, including the likelihood of U.S. forces entering the country and Maduro being ousted by January 31, 2026. These wagers yielded him nearly $410,000 in profit.

To conceal his activities, Van Dyke allegedly transferred the funds to a foreign cryptocurrency vault and requested Polymarket to delete his account, claiming he had lost access to his registered email.

U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated, "Prediction markets are not a haven for using misappropriated confidential or classified information for personal gain."

Van Dyke faces multiple charges, including wire fraud and unlawful monetary transactions, which could result in up to 30 years in prison.

This case marks the first time the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has invoked the "Eddie Murphy Rule" to address insider trading using government information.