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

A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, has been charged with using classified information to profit over $400,000 through bets placed on the online prediction market Polymarket. Van Dyke, 38, participated in the planning and execution of the January operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

According to the indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account on December 26, 2025, and placed 13 bets totaling approximately $33,000 on events related to U.S. military actions in Venezuela. These bets, made between December 30 and January 2, included wagers on Maduro leaving office by January 31, 2026. Following the successful operation on January 3, Van Dyke's bets yielded profits exceeding $400,000.

The Department of Justice has charged Van Dyke with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction.

FBI Director Kash Patel commented on the arrest, stating: "This involved a U.S. soldier who allegedly took advantage of his position to profit off of a righteous military operation."

Polymarket cooperated with federal investigators throughout the case. In a statement, the company said it had referred the matter to the Department of Justice after identifying the suspicious trading.

President Donald Trump, when asked about the charges, compared the situation to that of Pete Rose betting on his own team, stating: "Now, if he bet against his team, that would be no good. But he bet on his own. I'll look into it."

This case marks the first time the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has charged insider trading involving event contracts and the first instance of the Department of Justice prosecuting insider trading on a prediction market.