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

The US Department of Justice has arrested a master sergeant in the Army, accusing him of using classified information about a military operation in Venezuela to place bets and win around $400,000. The sergeant, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, allegedly used his knowledge of the upcoming raid to place $33,000 in bets on the outcome, and then attempted to conceal his actions. The Department of Justice has charged Van Dyke with unlawfully using confidential government information for personal gain, as well as theft and fraud. According to the indictment, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and placed 13 bets on contracts related to the US operation in Venezuela, including whether US forces would land in the country and remove President Nicolas Maduro. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke. The case has drawn attention to the issue of insider trading and the use of confidential information for personal gain, with US Attorney Jay Clayton stating that 'the defendant 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.' Van Dyke is an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, and was involved in the planning and execution of the military operation in Venezuela. After the raid, he allegedly withdrew his winnings and attempted to conceal his identity by changing his email address and asking Polymarket to delete his account. The incident has also drawn comment from US President Donald Trump, who expressed disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes.