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

The US Department of Justice has arrested a master sergeant in the Army, alleging that he used sensitive information about an impending military operation in Venezuela to place bets worth $33,000, resulting in winnings of around $400,000. Gannon Ken Van Dyke has been charged with unlawfully using confidential government information for personal gain, theft of non-public government information, and fraud. 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 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, stating that his actions endangered US national security and put the lives of American service members at risk. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to a stablecoin, and transferred the funds to a brokerage account. The incident has drawn attention from news organizations and prompted a response from US President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes.