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

The US Department of Justice has arrested a master sergeant in the Army for allegedly using classified information to place wagers on a military operation in Venezuela. Gannon Ken Van Dyke is charged with unlawful use of confidential government information, theft, and fraud for placing $33,000 in bets that yielded around $400,000 in winnings. 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 US military operation in Venezuela. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, was involved in planning and executing the operation to detain former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. After the raid, he allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to a stablecoin, and transferred them to a brokerage account. The investigation was prompted by news organizations noticing the large profit made on the Polymarket bets, and Van Dyke's attempts to conceal his identity by deleting his account and changing his email. The US President has commented on the allegations, expressing disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes.