US soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke charged for using classified intel to win $400K Maduro bet

Federal authorities arrested a US soldier, who was involved in the special military operation to capture Nicolas Maduro, on the ground of winning the bet over the Venezuelan President’s removal from office.

According to the Department of Justice Department, US special forces soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke allegedly pocketed more than $400,000 by betting over Maduro.

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Moreover, he also allegedly bet more than $33,000 and made trades on Polymarket, a prediction market and crypto-powered platform, on the basis of classified information.

In a high-stakes play on Polymarket, a trader who joined the platform in December 2025 turned a series of geopolitical gambles into a massive windfall.

The user wagered a total of $33,933 across four bets revolving around a potential US invasion of Venezuela and the removal of President Nicolás Maduro from power.

That single position paid off spectacularly, yielding a 1,242 percent return and a total profit of $404,222.

As a result of misusing classified intel on a trading platform, Gannon Ken Van Dyke was indicted by the DOJ on various charges including the unlawful use of confidential information for personal gains, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and stealing non-public government information.

"That is clear insider trading and is illegal under federal law," justice department officials said.

"Rather than safeguard that information as he was obligated to do, VAN DYKE decided to use that classified information to place trades on a prediction market platform for his personal profit," the indictment read.

Soon after the US soldier placed bets on the mission, the information regarding the unusual trading started making rounds.

To avoid any scandal, Van Dyke tried to remove the evidence by deleting Polymarket account and changing the email address registered to his cryptocurrency exchange account.

Earlier this year in January, US President Donald Trump launched “Operation Absolute Resolve”, a high-stakes military operation to capture Maduro and his wife and bring them to New York to face charges on weapons offences and drug trafficking.