US Army Green Beret Arrested for Allegedly Betting on Venezuela Raid

A US Army master sergeant has been arrested for allegedly using classified information to place bets on a military operation in Venezuela, resulting in winnings of approximately $400,000. According to the US Department of Justice, Gannon Ken Van Dyke has been charged with unlawfully using confidential government information for personal gain, theft of non-public government information, and fraud. The indictment alleges that Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and placed 13 bets on contracts related to the US military operation in Venezuela, including the potential removal of Nicolas Maduro. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, was involved in the planning and execution of the operation. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint in federal court. Following the raid, Van Dyke allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to a cryptocurrency, and attempted to conceal his identity by deleting his Polymarket account and changing his email address. The incident has drawn attention from US President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of betting using confidential information.