U.S. Soldier Linked to Maduro’s Capture Arrested and Charged With Insider Trading on Polymarket

(SeaPRwire) –   Federal authorities revealed Thursday that a U.S. special forces member who took part in the U.S.-led capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro faces charges for leveraging classified details about the military operation to earn over $400,000 in profits via the online prediction platform Polymarket.

In an indictment unsealed at Manhattan’s federal court, prosecutors claim Gannon Ken Van Dyke—an Army Special Forces Master Sergeant—used sensitive classified data to place several bets on Polymarket (a well-known prediction market) adding up to nearly $34,000 in the days before the Jan. 3 operation.

Van Dyke was taken into custody and is charged with illegal use of confidential government info for personal profit, stealing nonpublic government data, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and conducting an unlawful financial transaction. A conviction could result in decades behind bars.

Who is Van Dyke?

Multiple anonymous officials informed CBS News that Van Dyke, 38, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, served as a communications expert assisting the Joint Special Operations Command—a task force overseeing elite special mission units.

Per the indictment, Van Dyke has been on active military duty since 2008 and was based at North Carolina’s Fort Bragg complex (home to the Joint Special Operations Command) at the time of the operation.

The indictment states that between roughly Dec. 8, 2025, and Jan. 5, 2026, Van Dyke participated in planning and carrying out Maduro’s capture and had access to sensitive, nonpublic classified information.

While the full scope of Van Dyke’s role isn’t known, the indictment notes that after U.S. forces captured Maduro, a photo of Van Dyke was taken and stored in his Google account. The image, per the indictment, shows him “on what looks like a ship’s deck at sea, at sunrise, wearing U.S. military uniform, holding a rifle, and standing next to three other people in U.S. military attire.”

New York’s federal prosecutor’s office added that Van Dyke had signed nondisclosure agreements, in which he pledged to “never disclose, publish, or reveal through writing, speech, actions, or any other means . . . any classified or sensitive information” tied to military operations.

What is he accused of doing?

Around Dec. 26, 2025, Van Dyke is said to have set up an account on Polymarket, a platform where users bet on event outcomes by purchasing “yes” or “no” shares. Donald Trump Jr., the President’s son, joined Polymarket and Kalshi (another prediction market) as an advisor last year.

From the following day through Jan. 2, 2026, Van Dyke reportedly made 13 trades on Maduro- and Venezuela-related contracts, buying about $33,934 worth of “yes” shares.

In a separate complaint against Van Dyke, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (which oversees prediction markets) claims Van Dyke deposited roughly $35,000 from his personal bank account into his crypto exchange on Dec. 26, 2025—about a week prior to the Venezuela operation.

Trump announced the operation in the early hours of Jan. 3, and Van Dyke’s bets paid off; he’s accused of selling his positions to make a profit. That same day, he withdrew his Polymarket earnings and moved them to a foreign crypto vault, then to a brokerage account.

Afterward, reports of possible insider trading related to the Maduro operation on Polymarket surfaced, with a focus on a user who earned around $400,000 in profits.

The indictment further states Van Dyke “took measures to hide his identity as the trader in Maduro- and Venezuela-related markets” afterward, such as requesting Polymarket delete his account and changing his crypto exchange’s registered email to one not in his name.

Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, stated in the indictment announcement that prediction markets “are not a safe space for using stolen confidential or classified info to profit personally” and that Van Dyke’s actions were “clear insider trading and violate federal law.”

Polymarket released a statement on X Thursday saying that when they detected a user trading with classified government info, they reported it to the Justice Department and assisted with the investigation. The statement noted: “Insider trading has no place on Polymarket. Today’s arrest shows the system works.”

How officials have reacted

Insider profit-making via prediction markets has grown into a major concern in Washington, with some lawmakers asking how to regulate these platforms amid suspicious activity. In early April, the Associated Press reported that several new Polymarket accounts placed highly specific, well-timed bets on a U.S.-Iran ceasefire on April 7, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars. The White House later warned staff not to use confidential info for trades or bets. Kalshi also recently fined and suspended three congressional candidates who the company said bet on their own election outcomes.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump was asked about the soldier and whether he’s worried about federal employees betting on prediction markets. He said he wasn’t aware of the specific case and would “look into it,” but questioned if the soldier had bet for or against the operation’s success.

“That’s like Pete Rose betting on his own team,” the President commented, referencing the late baseball player and manager who was banned for life after being caught betting on the sport and his own team, the Cincinnati Reds.

Regarding suspected insider trading on Iran war outcomes, Trump stated: “Well, unfortunately, the whole world has become a bit of a casino. You see what’s happening everywhere—Europe and all over—they’re doing these betting things. I never really liked it. I don’t agree with it in theory, but that’s how it is.”