US Army Green Beret Arrested for Placing Bets on Venezuela Raid

A US Army master sergeant has been arrested and charged with unlawfully using confidential government information for personal gain, after allegedly placing bets on a military operation in Venezuela. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a member of the US Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets, is accused of using his knowledge of the forthcoming raid to place $33,000 in bets on Polymarket, winning approximately $400,000. The US Department of Justice alleges that Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and placed 13 bets between December 26, 2025, and January 2, 2026, on contracts related to the US military operation in Venezuela. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke. According to the indictment, Van Dyke was involved in the planning and execution of the military operation and allegedly attempted to conceal his identity by asking Polymarket to delete his account and changing his email address. The incident has sparked comments from US President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes. Van Dyke's actions have been described as a clear case of insider trading and a violation of the trust placed in him by the US government.