US Authorities Arrest Army Green Beret Over Alleged Insider Trading on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has taken action against a master sergeant in the Army, alleging that he misused sensitive government information for personal financial benefit. The individual, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, is accused of using his knowledge of an impending military operation in Venezuela to place bets worth $33,000, which ultimately yielded a profit of approximately $400,000. According to the indictment, Van Dyke created an account on a betting platform called Polymarket and made multiple bets between December 26, 2025, and January 2, 2026, regarding the potential outcomes of the US military operation in Venezuela. The bets included predictions about the US landing in Venezuela, removing the country's leader, and invading the nation. The US Attorney's office has stated that Van Dyke's actions constitute a clear case of insider trading, which is prohibited under federal law. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing a complaint against Van Dyke, alleging that his actions compromised national security and put the lives of American service members at risk. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, was involved in the planning and execution of the military operation to detain the former Venezuelan leader. After the operation, he allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to a cryptocurrency, and transferred the funds to a brokerage account. The investigation into Van Dyke's activities was initiated after news organizations noticed that someone had made significant profits from bets related to the Venezuela operation. It is alleged that Van Dyke attempted to conceal his identity by asking Polymarket to delete his account and changing his email address. In response to the allegations, Polymarket stated that it had identified the suspicious activity and referred the matter to the Department of Justice, cooperating fully with the investigation. The incident has also drawn comment from US President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes, describing the practice as conceptually unappealing.