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

A US Army master sergeant has been arrested and charged with unlawfully using government secrets for personal gain, following allegations that he placed wagers on a military operation in Venezuela. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, allegedly used his knowledge of the impending raid to place $33,000 in bets on Polymarket, ultimately winning around $400,000. The US Department of Justice claims that Van Dyke created a Polymarket account in December 2025 and made 13 bets between then and January 2, 2026, on contracts related to the potential US invasion of Venezuela and the removal of Nicolas Maduro. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, who is accused of endangering US national security and putting the lives of American service members at risk. After the raid, Van Dyke allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to a cryptocurrency, and attempted to conceal his identity by asking Polymarket to delete his account. The case has sparked comments from US President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes.