US Arrests Army Special Forces Member for Allegedly Betting on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has arrested an active-duty Army Special Forces member, Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, for allegedly using classified information to place bets on a raid in Venezuela. Van Dyke, who was involved in the planning and execution of the operation, is accused of placing $33,000 in bets on the outcome of the raid, which resulted in winnings of approximately $400,000. The indictment alleges that Van Dyke used his knowledge of the forthcoming raid to place bets on contracts related to the operation, including whether US forces would land in Venezuela and remove Nicolas Maduro. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke. According to the indictment, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and placed 13 bets between December 26, 2025, and January 2, 2026. After the raid, Van Dyke allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to a stablecoin, and transferred them to a brokerage account. The filing also notes that Van Dyke attempted to conceal his identity by asking Polymarket to delete his account and changing his email address. The case has drawn attention from US President Donald Trump, who expressed concerns about the use of confidential information for personal gain. Polymarket has stated that it cooperated with the DOJ investigation and referred the matter to the authorities after identifying suspicious activity on its platform.