US soldier charged after winning $400,000 bets on Maduro, Venezuela

Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a United States soldier, has been charged aft allegedly making implicit $400,000 connected the cognition that captured Nicolás Maduro successful Venezuela.

Based connected the classified intel helium was privy to regarding the timing of the subject action, the 38-year-old national traded connected Polymarket, the world’s largest prediction marketplace.

The prosecution of Van Dyke—who participated successful the readying and execution of “Operation Absolute Resolve” connected February 3—is the archetypal lawsuit of insider trading involving a work member.

Stationed astatine Fort Bragg, a subject basal located successful Fayetteville, helium started placing bets astir December 8, 2025, and continued done astatine slightest January 6, according to the DoJ.

After winning his wagers and allegedly profiting $409,881, helium moved astir of the proceeds to a overseas cryptocurrency vault earlier depositing them into a recently created brokerage account.

Prosecutors accidental Van Dyke tried to conceal his individuality by asking Polymarket to delete his account, claiming helium mislaid entree to the email code to which the relationship had been associated.

The Justice Department indictment accused him of utilizing confidential authorities accusation for “personal gain, commodities fraud, ligament fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction.”

Van Dyke is charged with 3 counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, each of which c...