US Authorities Arrest Army Green Beret Over Alleged Insider Trading on Venezuela Raid

A US Army master sergeant, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, has been arrested and charged with unlawfully using government secrets for personal benefit, theft of non-public information, and fraud. The allegations stem from his involvement in a military operation to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, during which he allegedly placed $33,000 in bets on the outcome, yielding around $400,000 in winnings. According to the US Department of Justice, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and made 13 bets between December 26, 2025, and January 2, 2026, on contracts related to the potential US invasion of Venezuela and the removal of Maduro. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, citing the endangerment of national security and the lives of American service members. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, was involved in the planning and execution of the operation and allegedly attempted to conceal his identity and winnings after the raid. The case has drawn comments from US President Donald Trump, who expressed disapproval of the concept of prediction market betting using confidential information.