US Army Green Beret Arrested for Allegedly Placing Bets on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has arrested a master sergeant in the Army for allegedly using classified information to place bets on a military operation in Venezuela. Gannon Ken Van Dyke is accused of using his knowledge of the forthcoming raid to place $33,000 in bets, resulting in winnings of around $400,000. The indictment charges Van Dyke with unlawfully using confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, and fraud. According to the US Attorney, Van Dyke's actions constitute clear insider trading and are illegal under federal law. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, allegedly created a Polymarket account and placed 13 bets on contracts related to the US military operation in Venezuela. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint in federal court. Van Dyke's actions allegedly endangered US national security and put the lives of American service members at risk. After the raid, Van Dyke allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to cryptocurrency, and attempted to conceal his identity. The case has drawn attention from news organizations and has prompted comments from US President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes.