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

A high-ranking member of the US Army, Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, has been arrested and charged with unlawfully using classified government information for personal gain. The allegations stem from his involvement in a military operation to detain former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, during which Van Dyke allegedly placed bets on the outcome, winning approximately $400,000. The US Department of Justice claims that Van Dyke used his knowledge of the operation to place $33,000 in bets on the raid, which is considered insider trading and a violation of federal law. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, allegedly created a Polymarket account and placed multiple bets on contracts related to the US military's actions in Venezuela. Following the raid, Van Dyke reportedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to a cryptocurrency, and attempted to conceal his identity by changing his email address and asking Polymarket to delete his account. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, citing the endangerment of US national security and the lives of American service members. The incident has drawn attention from US President Donald Trump, who expressed disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes, likening the world to a 'casino'.