US Arrests Green Beret for Allegedly Betting on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has arrested a high-ranking Army officer, Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, for allegedly using classified information to place bets on a military operation in Venezuela. The operation aimed to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Van Dyke is accused of using his knowledge of the impending raid to place $33,000 in bets, which yielded approximately $400,000 in winnings. 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 US military's actions in Venezuela. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke. The defendant allegedly attempted to conceal his identity by asking Polymarket to delete his account and changing his email address. Van Dyke's actions have been condemned by US officials, with US Attorney Jay Clayton stating that the defendant's actions constitute 'clear insider trading' and are illegal under federal law. The case has sparked comments from US President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of the use of confidential information for personal gain in prediction markets.