US Army Green Beret Arrested for Allegedly Betting on Venezuela Raid

A US Army Master Sergeant has been arrested and charged with unlawfully using government information for personal gain, after allegedly placing bets on a military operation in Venezuela. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, an active duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, is accused of using his knowledge of the forthcoming raid to place $33,000 in bets on the outcome, winning approximately $400,000. The US Department of Justice claims that 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. According to the indictment, Van Dyke was involved in the planning and execution of the military operation and used his knowledge to place bets on the timing and outcome of the raid. After the operation, Van Dyke allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to a cryptocurrency, and moved them into a brokerage account. The US Attorney's office claims that Van Dyke attempted to conceal his identity by asking Polymarket to delete his account and changing his email address. The case has sparked comments from US President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes.