US Authorities Arrest Green Beret Over Alleged Insider Trading on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has arrested a master sergeant in the Army's Special Forces for allegedly using confidential government information to place bets on a military operation in Venezuela. Gannon Ken Van Dyke is accused of using his knowledge of the impending raid to place $33,000 in bets on Polymarket, ultimately winning around $400,000. According to the indictment, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account in December 2025 and placed 13 bets between then and January 2026 on contracts related to the potential US invasion of Venezuela and the removal of Nicolas Maduro. The US Attorney's office has charged Van Dyke with the unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of non-public government information, and fraud. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke. Van Dyke, who is an active-duty soldier based at Fort Bragg, allegedly attempted to conceal his identity by asking Polymarket to delete his account and changing his email address. The case has drawn attention from US President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of the use of prediction markets and the concept of betting on global events.