The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently arrested Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a 38-year-old soldier from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Van Dyke participated in the operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, allegedly leveraging classified information to make substantial bets on Polymarket, a prediction marketplace. Prosecutors claim he earned about $409,881 from these bets.
According to the unsealed indictment in New York, Van Dyke had access to sensitive details regarding “Operation Absolute Resolve” starting in December 2025. He had agreed to nondisclosure agreements that prohibited sharing any classified military information.
The operation concluded in the early hours of January 3, 2026, with U.S. special forces capturing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas. This success was announced by President Donald Trump shortly afterward.
Details of the Betting Scheme
Polymarket facilitated bets on various scenarios involving Venezuela, including potential invasions and the status of Maduro by the end of January 2026.
Van Dyke allegedly opened a Polymarket account on December 26, 2025, and placed around 13 bets totaling approximately $33,034 by January 2, 2026, all while possessing privileged knowledge about the upcoming operation.
After the successful capture was publicly confirmed, his bets resulted in significant profits.
Legal Consequences
Charges against Van Dyke include unlawful use of confidential government information, theft of nonpublic information, and violations of the Commodity Exchange Act, along with additional counts related to wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions. Each commodities violation could lead to a 10-year prison sentence, while wire fraud carries a potential 20-year term.
Following his betting activities, it is alleged that Van Dyke transferred much of the profit to a foreign cryptocurrency vault and attempted to hide his actions, even requesting the deletion of his Polymarket account.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized the importance of trust in the military, noting that members are prohibited from exploiting sensitive information for personal financial gain.
He also highlighted that, despite the growing use of prediction markets, existing federal laws protecting national security remain firmly in place.
