US Army Green Beret Arrested for Allegedly Placing Bets on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has arrested a master sergeant in the Army for allegedly using confidential information to place bets on a raid in Venezuela, which resulted in the detention of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. The sergeant, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, is accused of unlawful use of government information, theft, and fraud for placing $33,000 in bets and winning 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 raid on Venezuela. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, who is an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces. The case has drawn attention from US President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes.