US Arrests Green Beret for Allegedly Betting on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has arrested a high-ranking Army officer for allegedly using classified information to place bets on a military operation in Venezuela. Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a member of the US Army Special Forces, is accused of using his knowledge of the impending raid to place $33,000 in bets, resulting in winnings of approximately $400,000. According to the indictment, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and placed 13 bets between December 26, 2025, and January 2, 2026, on contracts related to the US military operation in Venezuela. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, alleging that he endangered US national security and put the lives of American service members at risk. Van Dyke allegedly attempted to conceal his identity and his winnings by withdrawing the funds, converting them to a cryptocurrency, and transferring them to a brokerage account. The case has drawn attention from US President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of the use of confidential information for personal gain, stating that the world has become 'a casino' and that he does not conceptually favor such activities.