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

A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, has been arrested and charged with using classified information to profit over $400,000 through bets on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Van Dyke, 38, participated in the planning and execution of the military operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, which led to Maduro's apprehension on January 3, 2026.

According to the indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York, Van Dyke placed 13 bets totaling approximately $33,000 on the prediction market platform Polymarket between December 27, 2025, and January 2, 2026. These bets were based on his access to sensitive, nonpublic, classified information about the operation.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized the gravity of the charges, stating, "Our men and women in uniform are trusted with classified information in order to accomplish their mission as safely and effectively as possible, and are prohibited from using this highly sensitive information for personal financial gain."

Van Dyke faces multiple charges, including unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction. Each count carries significant potential prison time.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has also filed a civil complaint against Van Dyke, marking the first time the agency has charged insider trading involving event contracts. CFTC Chairman Michael Selig stated, "The defendant was entrusted with confidential information about U.S. operations and yet took action that endangered U.S. national security and put the lives of American service members in harm’s way."

Polymarket cooperated with federal investigators throughout the process. In a statement, the company said it had referred the matter to the Department of Justice after identifying the suspicious trading, emphasizing that "insider trading has no place on Polymarket."

This case has drawn attention to the potential for insider trading within prediction markets, prompting discussions about the need for tighter regulation and oversight to prevent misuse of sensitive information for personal gain.