US Army Green Beret Arrested for Allegedly Betting on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has arrested a senior Army officer for allegedly using confidential government information to place bets on a military operation in Venezuela, resulting in significant financial gains. According to the indictment, Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, an active-duty member of the US Army Special Forces, created a Polymarket account and placed multiple bets on the outcome of the operation to detain former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Van Dyke allegedly won around $400,000 from these bets, which were placed using classified information about the forthcoming raid. 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 US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, citing a betrayal of trust and a risk to US national security. Following the raid, Van Dyke allegedly attempted to conceal his involvement by withdrawing the funds, converting them to cryptocurrency, and transferring them to a brokerage account. The incident has drawn attention from US President Donald Trump, who expressed concerns about the use of confidential information for betting purposes.