US Authorities Arrest Army Green Beret Over Suspicious Bets on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has taken action against a master sergeant in the US Army, charging him with unlawfully using confidential government information for personal gain and committing fraud. The charges stem from the sergeant's alleged involvement in placing bets on the outcome of a military operation in Venezuela, in which he was a participant. According to the indictment, Gannon Ken Van Dyke used his knowledge of the impending raid to place approximately $33,000 in bets, ultimately winning around $400,000. US Attorney Jay Clayton condemned the actions, stating that using classified information for personal profit is a clear example of insider trading and a violation of federal law. The accused created a Polymarket account in late December 2025 and made 13 bets between then and early January 2026, speculating on the likelihood of US forces landing in Venezuela, removing President Nicolas Maduro, and other related events. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, with Chairman Mike Selig emphasizing that the defendant's actions jeopardized 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, was involved in the planning and execution of the operation to detain Maduro. Following the raid, he allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to a stablecoin, and transferred the funds to a foreign cryptocurrency vault before moving them to a brokerage account. The investigation revealed that Van Dyke attempted to conceal his identity by asking Polymarket to delete his account and changing his email address. Polymarket cooperated with the investigation, stating that they had identified the suspicious activity and referred the matter to the DOJ. The incident has also drawn comment from US President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes, likening the world to a casino.