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

The US Department of Justice has arrested a high-ranking Army official for allegedly using confidential government information to place bets on a military operation in Venezuela, resulting in winnings of approximately $400,000. The accused, Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, is said to have used his knowledge of the impending raid to place $33,000 in bets on the outcome, violating federal law and endangering national security. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, allegedly created a betting account and placed multiple bets on contracts related to the US military operation in Venezuela. Following the raid, he allegedly attempted to conceal his involvement by withdrawing funds, converting them to cryptocurrency, and transferring them to a brokerage account. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, with the agency's chairman stating that the defendant's actions compromised US national security and put American lives at risk. The case has drawn attention from US President Donald Trump, who expressed disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes.