A US special forces soldier involved in the military operation that captured Nicolas Maduro has been arrested after he allegedly bet on the removal of Venezuela's former leader before the information was publicly available.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged Gannon Ken Van Dyke after he allegedly made trades on Polymarket, a crypto-powered platform, based on classified information.
That is clear insider trading and is illegal under federal law, justice department officials said.
Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier in the US Army stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, won more than $409,000 (£303,702) as a result of his bets.
US forces seized Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their compound in Caracas in a dramatic, night-time raid on 3 January, bringing them to New York to face allegations of weapon and drug offences, which they deny.
Van Dyke allegedly placed bets on the timing and outcome of the operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, all to turn a profit, the DOJ said.
According to the DOJ, on or about 26 December 2025, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and began trading on Maduro and Venezuela-related markets, making bets of more than $33,000 (£24,500) while in possession of classified information about Operation Absolute Resolve.
In a statement posted on social media on Thursday, Polymarket stated: When we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ & cooperated with their investigation. Insider trading has no place on Polymarket. Today's arrest is proof the system works.
Van Dyke has been charged with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction, according to an indictment unsealed on Thursday. Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized the importance of trust placed in military personnel regarding classified information.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) also filed a complaint against Van Dyke for insider trading. The case raises significant legal questions about the implications of prediction markets and insider trading concerns in the modern financial landscape.
