US Arrests Green Beret Over $400,000 Betting Scandal on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has arrested a master sergeant in the Army, alleging that he used confidential government information to place bets on a raid in Venezuela, which resulted in the detention of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. The master sergeant, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, allegedly placed $33,000 in bets on the outcome of the raid through the online platform Polymarket, winning approximately $400,000. According to the indictment, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account in late December 2025 and made 13 bets on the success of the US operation in Venezuela between December 26, 2025, and January 2, 2026. The US Attorney's office has charged Van Dyke with unlawfully using confidential government information for personal gain, theft of non-public government information, and fraud. The case has also drawn the attention of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which is pursuing an insider trading complaint in federal court. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, also known as the 'green berets,' was involved in the planning and execution of the military operation to detain Maduro. After the raid, Van Dyke allegedly attempted to conceal his identity and the source of his winnings by withdrawing the funds, converting them to a cryptocurrency, and moving them into a brokerage account. The investigation into Van Dyke's activities was prompted by news reports of an individual making a large profit on Polymarket bets related to the Venezuela raid. In response to the allegations, US President Donald Trump expressed his disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes, stating that the world has become 'somewhat of a casino.'