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

The US Department of Justice has arrested a master sergeant in the Army's Special Forces, alleging that he used classified information about a military operation in Venezuela to place bets worth $33,000, resulting in winnings of approximately $400,000. Gannon Ken Van Dyke has been charged with unlawfully using confidential government information for personal gain, theft of non-public government information, and fraud. According to the indictment, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and placed 13 bets between December 26, 2025, and January 2, 2026, on contracts related to the potential US invasion of Venezuela and the removal of Nicolas Maduro. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, who allegedly endangered US national security and put American service members' lives at risk by using confidential information for personal gain. After the raid, Van Dyke allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to a cryptocurrency, and moved the funds into a brokerage account. The incident has sparked comments from US President Donald Trump, who expressed disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes.