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

The US Department of Justice has taken action against a master sergeant in the US Army, alleging that he used classified information to place wagers on the outcome of a military operation in Venezuela, which led to the detention of the country's former leader, Nicolas Maduro. The sergeant, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, is said to have made $33,000 in bets through the Polymarket platform, ultimately winning around $400,000. According to the indictment, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account in late December 2025 and made a series of bets between then and early January 2026, speculating on the likelihood of US forces landing in Venezuela, removing Maduro, and other related events. The US Attorney's office has stated that Van Dyke's actions constitute insider trading and are illegal under federal law, as they involved the misuse of confidential government information for personal gain. Van Dyke, who is an active-duty member of the US Army Special Forces, also known as the 'green berets', was allegedly involved in the planning and execution of the operation to detain Maduro. After the raid, Van Dyke is accused of attempting to conceal his bets by withdrawing his winnings, converting them to a different cryptocurrency, and transferring them to a brokerage account. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, citing the risks his actions posed to national security and the lives of American service members. In response to the allegations, US President Donald Trump expressed his disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes, describing the world as having become 'somewhat of a casino'.