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A U.S. Army soldier involved in the daring operation and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been arrested on charges of allegedly using classified information to place a bet on the deposed leader's removal from office, a move that won him more than $400,000, authorities said.
Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, allegedly wagered more than $33,000 on Polymarket, an online prediction market where bettors can wage money on everything from sports matches and economic indicators to political outcomes, the Justice Department said Thursday.
He was charged with three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, one count of wire fraud and one count of an unlawful monetary transaction.
Van Dyke also faces insider trading charges by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
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Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in handcuffs after landing on a New York City helipad. A U.S. Army soldier involved in the military operation to arrest the deposed leader has been charged with using classified information to place bets on Maduro's capture. (Fox News)
"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. "Any clearance holders thinking of cashing in their access and knowledge for personal gain will be held accountable."
The bets netted Van Dyke nearly $410,000. In total, he made 13 bets from Dec. 27, 2025, through the evening of Jan. 2, just hours before the operation to capture Maduro commenced.
Van Dyke allegedly sent most of his winnings to a foreign cryptocurrency vault before depositing them into a newly created online brokerage account, federal prosecutors said.
In a post Thursday on X, Polymarket noted it published enhanced rules in March to combat insider trading.
"When we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ & cooperated with their investigation," the post states. "Insider trading has no place on Polymarket. Today's arrest is proof the system works."
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Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in handcuffs after landing on a New York City helipad, escorted by federal agents as they head to a federal courthouse in Manhattan Jan. 5, 2026. (XNY/Star Max/GC Images)
Van Dyke, who was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, had signed nondisclosure agreements in which he promised to "never divulge, publish, or reveal by writing, words, conduct, or otherwise ... any classified or sensitive information" relating to military operations, according to the DOJ.
Beginning around Dec. 8, 2025, through Jan. 6, Van Dyke was involved in the planning and execution of "Operation Absolute Resolve," the military mission to capture Maduro, whom federal prosecutors allege leads a drug cartel.
Amid the plans for the operation, Van Dyke had consistent access to classified intelligence.
"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," acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
"Widespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply."
Around Dec. 26, 2025, Van Dyke allegedly created a Polymarket account, funded it and began trading on Venezuela-related markets.
Some of those contracts tracked the likelihood of U.S. forces entering Venezuela by certain dates, the probability of Maduro being removed from power and the likelihood of President Donald Trump invoking the War Powers Act against Venezuela, the DOJ said.
On the day of the operation, Van Dyke allegedly withdrew the majority of his winnings.
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To avoid being caught, he allegedly asked Polymarket to delete his account, falsely claiming he had lost access to his registered email address.
That same day, he changed the email registered to his cryptocurrency exchange account to an address that was not in his name, which he had created around Dec. 14, 2025.
In addition to the criminal charges against him, Van Dyke is the subject of a complaint by the CFTC as part of a parallel investigation into his alleged actions.
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"I have been crystal clear that anyone who engages in fraud, manipulation or insider trading in any of our markets will face the full force of the law," CFTC Chairman Michael Selig said.
"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."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Polymarket and the DOJ for comment. The War Department referred all questions to federal prosecutors.
Van Dyke faces up to 60 years in prison.
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