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

The US Department of Justice has arrested a high-ranking Army official for allegedly using classified information to place wagers on a military operation in Venezuela, which led to the detention of former President Nicolas Maduro. According to the indictment, Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a member of the US Army Special Forces, used his knowledge of the impending raid to place $33,000 in bets on Polymarket, ultimately winning around $400,000. Van Dyke allegedly created a Polymarket account in late December 2025 and made 13 bets between then and early January 2026, anticipating the outcome of the US operation in Venezuela. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, who is accused of endangering national security and putting the lives of American service members at risk. Following the raid, Van Dyke allegedly attempted to conceal his identity and withdrew his winnings, converting them to a cryptocurrency and transferring them to a brokerage account. The case has drawn attention from news organizations and prompted a response from US President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of the practice of using confidential information for personal gain.