US Army Green Beret Arrested Over $400,000 Bets on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has arrested a master sergeant in the Army for allegedly using classified information to place bets on a military operation in Venezuela. Gannon Ken Van Dyke is accused of using his knowledge of the forthcoming raid to place $33,000 in bets, resulting in winnings of around $400,000. The indictment charges Van Dyke with the unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, and fraud. According to the US Attorney, Van Dyke 'allegedly violated the trust placed in him by the United States Government by using classified information about a sensitive military operation to place bets on the timing and outcome of that very operation, all to turn a profit.' The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint in federal court, stating that Van Dyke's actions 'endangered US national security and put the lives of American service members in harm’s way.' Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, allegedly created a Polymarket account and placed 13 bets on contracts related to the raid. After the operation, he allegedly withdrew the funds, converted them to a cryptocurrency, and attempted to conceal his identity. The case has drawn attention from news organizations and prompted a response from US President Donald Trump, who expressed disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes.