US Arrests Green Beret Over $400,000 Bet on Venezuela Raid

A master sergeant in the US Army has been arrested and charged with unlawfully using government information for personal gain. Gannon Ken Van Dyke allegedly placed $33,000 in bets on the outcome of a raid in Venezuela, which he was involved in, and won approximately $400,000. The US Department of Justice claims 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. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, allegedly created a Polymarket account and placed 13 bets between December 26, 2025, and January 2, 2026. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke. According to the indictment, Van Dyke attempted to conceal his identity by asking Polymarket to delete his account and changing his email address. The incident has drawn attention from US President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of betting using confidential information.