US Army Soldier Charged with $400K Insider Trading on Polymarket Using Classified Venezuela Intelligence

Federal prosecutors arrested U.S. Army Special Forces Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke on April 23, 2026, charging him with using classified intelligence about a Venezuela military operation to profit from prediction market bets on Polymarket. Van Dyke, who participated in the raid to capture Nicolás Maduro, allegedly placed $33,000 in bets between December 26, 2025 and January 2, 2026, winning approximately $400,000 on contracts predicting U.S. military action in Venezuela. After the raid, he attempted to conceal his activity by converting winnings to cryptocurrency, requesting account deletion, and changing his email, but Polymarket identified the suspicious trading and referred the matter to the DOJ. The CFTC is pursuing insider trading charges, with officials stating the actions endangered national security and American service members' lives.

Insider Trading Charges Against Army Special Forces Soldier

• ▪U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated that Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke allegedly violated trust by using classified information about a sensitive military operation to place bets
• ▪Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke placed $33,000 in bets and won approximately $400,000 after the Venezuela raid
• ▪Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke is an active duty soldier with the U.S. Army Special Forces based out of Fort Bragg
• ▪The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is pursuing an insider trading complaint against Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke in federal court
• ▪The U.S. Department of Justice arrested Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke on April 23, 2026
• ▪Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke was involved in the planning and execution of the military operation to detain Nicolas Maduro

Use of Polymarket and Cryptocurrency to Conceal Profits

• ▪Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke placed 13 bets through January 2, 2026 on contracts anticipating whether U.S. forces would land in Venezuela, remove Maduro, and invade Venezuela
• ▪Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke created a Polymarket account on December 26, 2025

Government Response and Broader Implications for Prediction Markets

• ▪CFTC Chairman Mike Selig stated that Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke took action that endangered U.S. national security and put the lives of American service members in harm's way

Perspective of U.S. Department of Justice and CFTC

• ▪CFTC Chairman Mike Selig stated that Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke took action that endangered U.S. national security and put the lives of American service members in harm's way
• ▪U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated that Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke allegedly violated trust by using classified information about a sensitive military operation to place bets