US Arrests Green Beret Over Alleged $400,000 Bets on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has arrested a master sergeant with the Army's Special Forces, alleging that he used classified information about a military operation in Venezuela to place bets worth $33,000, resulting in winnings of approximately $400,000. The sergeant, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, allegedly created a Polymarket account and placed 13 bets between December 26, 2025, and January 2, 2026, on contracts related to the potential US military action in Venezuela. According to the indictment, Van Dyke was involved in the planning and execution of the operation to detain former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, who allegedly attempted to conceal his identity and the source of his winnings. The case has drawn attention to the issue of insider trading and the use of confidential information for personal gain, with US President Donald Trump expressing his disapproval of the practice.