US Army Green Beret Arrested for Allegedly Betting on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has arrested a high-ranking Army officer for allegedly using classified information to place bets on a military operation in Venezuela. Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a member of the US Army Special Forces, is accused of using his knowledge of the forthcoming raid to place $33,000 in bets, yielding approximately $400,000 in winnings. The indictment charges Van Dyke with the unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, and fraud. According to the allegations, 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 against Van Dyke. The case has sparked concerns about the potential risks of insider trading and the use of classified information for personal gain. Van Dyke's actions allegedly endangered US national security and put the lives of American service members at risk. The incident has also drawn attention to the growing trend of prediction market betting and the need for stricter regulations to prevent the misuse of confidential information.