US Army Green Beret Arrested for Illegally Betting on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has arrested a high-ranking Army officer on charges of using confidential government information for personal gain, theft, and fraud. Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke allegedly used his knowledge of an impending raid on Venezuela to place bets worth $33,000, which resulted 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 potential US military operation in Venezuela. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint in federal court. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, was involved in the planning and execution of the operation to detain Maduro. After the raid, he allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to a cryptocurrency, and attempted to conceal his identity by deleting his Polymarket account and changing his email address. The case has drawn attention to the issue of insider trading and the use of confidential government information for personal gain. US President Donald Trump has expressed his disapproval of betting markets, stating that the world has become 'a casino' and that he does not conceptually favor such activities.