(Adnkronos) – A US Special Forces soldier involved in the military operation that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro has been arrested on charges of betting on the January 3 raid against the Venezuelan leader before the information became public. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicted Gannon Ken Van Dyke for conducting transactions on the Polymarket platform using classified information. “This is a clear case of insider trading and is illegal under federal law,” Justice Department officials said.
Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier in the United States Army stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, won more than $409,000 from his bets. US forces captured Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores at their compound in Caracas during a night raid on January 3, transferring them to New York to face charges related to weapons and drug offenses, which the two dispute. According to the US Justice Department, Van Dyke allegedly bet on the timing and outcome of the operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, “for the sole purpose of profiting from it.”
Federal prosecutors allege that from December 8, 2025, until at least January 6, 2026, Van Dyke was involved in the planning and execution of Operation Absolute Resolve and had access to sensitive, non-public, and classified information about that operation. The Department of Justice claims that around December 26, 2025, Van Dyke created an account on Polymarket and began trading on markets related to Maduro and Venezuela. He is accused of placing bets totaling over $33,000 by leveraging his possession of confidential and non-public information regarding Operation Absolute Resolve.
In a statement published yesterday on social media, Polymarket stated: “When we identified a user conducting trading operations using classified government information, we reported the matter to the Department of Justice and cooperated with their investigations.” The company added: “Insider trading has no place on Polymarket. Today’s arrest demonstrates that the system works.”
Van Dyke has been charged with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of non-public government information, asset fraud, wire fraud, and unlawful monetary transaction, according to the indictment.
“Our men and women in uniform are entrusted with handling classified information to carry out their mission as safely and effectively as possible, and they are prohibited from using this highly sensitive information for personal financial gain,” said acting United States Attorney, Todd Blanche.
