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

The US Department of Justice has arrested a Green Beret on charges of misusing confidential government information for personal gain, theft, and fraud. Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke allegedly used his knowledge of an impending military operation in Venezuela to place bets worth $33,000, resulting in winnings of approximately $400,000. According to the indictment, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account in December 2025 and made 13 bets between then and January 2026 on the likelihood of US forces landing in Venezuela, removing President Nicolas Maduro, and other related events. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, citing the endangerment of US 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 to detain Maduro. After the raid, he allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to a stablecoin, and transferred the funds to a brokerage account. The case came to light after news organizations noticed the large profit made on these bets, and Van Dyke attempted to conceal his identity by asking Polymarket to delete his account and changing his email address. In response to the allegations, US President Donald Trump expressed his disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes, stating that the world has become 'somewhat of a casino' and that he does not conceptually favor such activities.