Soldier Charged After Betting on Secret Maduro Arrest Using Classified Intel

Federal authorities have charged a US Army special forces soldier with using classified information about the operation to capture Nicolas Maduro to place a highly profitable Polymarket bet.

The defendant, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, was identified by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and multiple reports as an active-duty master sergeant based near Fort Bragg, North Carolina. 

Authorities said he was involved in planning and execution of “Operation Absolute Resolve” from at least Dec. 8, 2025, through January 2026, giving him access to nonpublic classified or sensitive information about the mission.

According to the CFTC, Van Dyke used that information between Dec. 30 and Jan. 2 to buy more than 436,000 “Yes” shares in Polymarket’s “Maduro Out by January 31, 2026?” contract. The agency said those trades generated more than US$404,000 (AU$581K) in profits.

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Charges And Trading Trail

Van Dyke moved US$35,000 (AU$50K) from his personal bank account into a cryptocurrency exchange account on Dec. 26, then used more than US$32,500 (AU$46,800) to place a series of Maduro and Venezuela-related bets. 

He reportedly placed 13 bets, with side contracts tied to US forces entering Venezuela, Maduro leaving power and whether President Donald Trump would invoke war powers.

Those side contracts allegedly added more than US$5,000 (AU$7,200) in gains on top of the main Maduro market. 

Prosecutors said Van Dyke later moved most of the proceeds into a foreign crypto vault and then into a newly opened brokerage account, while also asking Polymarket to delete his account after the operation.

Criminal charges announced in New York include wire fraud, unlawful monetary transaction, unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain and theft of nonpublic government information. 

And if that was not enough, the CFTC filed a parallel civil complaint seeking restitution, disgorgement, penalties and trading bans.

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