US Army Green Beret Arrested for Illegally Betting on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has arrested a high-ranking Army officer, Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, for allegedly using classified information to place wagers on a military operation in Venezuela. The operation aimed to apprehend former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Van Dyke is accused of exploiting his knowledge of the forthcoming raid to place bets worth $33,000, which yielded approximately $400,000 in winnings. The indictment charges him with unlawful use of confidential government information, theft of nonpublic government information, and fraud. According to the US Attorney, Van Dyke's actions constitute insider trading and are illegal under federal law. The accused created a Polymarket account and placed multiple bets on contracts related to the US military's actions in Venezuela. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke. As an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, Van Dyke was involved in planning and executing the military operation. After the raid, he allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to cryptocurrency, and attempted to conceal his identity. The incident has drawn attention from news organizations and has prompted a response from US President Donald Trump, who expressed disapproval of using confidential information for betting purposes.