US Arrests Green Beret for Allegedly Betting on Venezuela Raid

A US Army master sergeant has been arrested for allegedly using classified information to place bets on a military operation in Venezuela, resulting in significant winnings. The sergeant, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, is accused of creating a Polymarket account and placing 13 bets on the outcome of the operation, including whether US forces would land in Venezuela and remove Nicolas Maduro. Van Dyke allegedly used his knowledge of the forthcoming raid to place $33,000 in bets, winning around $400,000. He is charged with the unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, and fraud. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, who is an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces. The case highlights concerns about the use of confidential information for personal gain and the potential risks to national security.