US Army Green Beret Arrested Over $400,000 Bets on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has arrested a high-ranking Army officer for allegedly using classified information to place bets on a military operation in Venezuela. Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke is accused of using his knowledge of the impending raid to place $33,000 in bets, which yielded a $400,000 profit. The indictment charges Van Dyke with unlawfully using government information for personal gain, theft of non-public information, and fraud. According to the US Attorney, Van Dyke's actions constitute clear insider trading and are illegal under federal law. The accused 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, who is an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces. Van Dyke allegedly attempted to conceal his identity by deleting his Polymarket account and changing his email address. The incident has drawn attention to the use of confidential information for personal gain, with US President Donald Trump expressing concerns about the practice of placing bets using sensitive information.