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

The US Department of Justice has taken action against a high-ranking Army official, Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, for allegedly leveraging classified information to make substantial bets on the outcome of a military operation in Venezuela. Van Dyke, a member of the elite US Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets, is accused of using his knowledge of the impending raid to place bets worth $33,000, ultimately yielding a profit of approximately $400,000. The indictment charges Van Dyke with unlawful use of government information for personal gain, theft of non-public government information, and fraud. According to the US Attorney, Van Dyke's actions constitute a clear case of insider trading, which is prohibited under federal law. The accused created a Polymarket account in late December 2025 and made 13 bets between then and early January 2026, speculating on the likelihood of US forces landing in Venezuela, removing President Nicolas Maduro, and other related events. In addition to the criminal charges, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is pursuing a complaint against Van Dyke for insider trading. The agency's chairman emphasized that Van Dyke's actions not only breached the trust placed in him but also jeopardized US national security and put American service members at risk. Following the raid, Van Dyke allegedly attempted to conceal his identity and withdrew his winnings, converting them to a stablecoin and transferring the funds to a foreign cryptocurrency vault and eventually to a brokerage account. The investigation was prompted by news organizations' discovery of the significant profits made from these bets, and Polymarket's cooperation with the authorities. In response to the allegations, US President Donald Trump expressed his disapproval of the use of confidential information for betting purposes, likening the global situation to a 'casino.'