Darren Lyn
24 April 2026•Update: 24 April 2026
A US special forces soldier was arrested Thursday for using confidential information to bet and win $400,000 on January’s US raid to capture then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, according to media reports.
Federal authorities said that Gannon Ken Van Dyke "bet a total of approximately $33,034" on the Maduro operation and made more than $409,000 from his bets placed on the raid, according to an unsealed indictment
Authorities said Van Dyke had insider information on the raid because he "participated in the planning and execution” of the US military operation to capture Maduro.
According to the indictment, Van Dyke is charged with the "unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction."
"The charges arise from an alleged scheme in which Van Dyke used sensitive classified information to make wagers on Polymarket," the US attorney for the Southern District of New York said in a statement.
Polymarket is one of the most prominent prediction markets for bettors, and investigators said the "outsized trade" caught the attention of law enforcement right away.
According to the investigation, the trader opened an account in late December on Polymarket and "bet a total of approximately $33,034" that Maduro would be "out" by January.
Shortly after the bet was placed, the US launched a covert military operation that captured Maduro and his wife from their presidential compound in the capital Caracas and extradited them to New York to face federal drug-trafficking charges.
Following Van Dyke's arrest, federal officials emphasized the severity of his alleged crimes.
"Today’s announcement makes clear no one is above the law, and this FBI will do whatever it takes to defend the homeland and safeguard our nation’s secrets," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
