Topline

A U.S. special forces soldier who participated in the raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been charged with using classified information about the operation to win more than $400,000 on the online betting platform Polymarket.

Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed Federal agents.

GC ImagesKey Facts

In a press release, the Justice Department said U.S. Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke was charged with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain and theft of nonpublic government information.

Van Dyke also faces charges of “commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction.”

The DOJ alleges Van Dyke created an account on the crypto betting platform Polymarket on December 26, 2025, and made around 13 bets on Maduro- and Venezuela-related markets.

The soldier allegedly bet a total of around $33,034 on “YES” outcomes in questions about U.S. military action or invasion targeting Venezuela before January 31, 2026.

As a result of these bets, Van Dyke allegedly profited approximately $409,881 after U.S. Special Forces conducted a raid on Caracas and captured Maduro and his wife from the Venezuelan leader’s residence.

The soldier then allegedly sent his winnings to a foreign cryptocurrency vault before depositing them into a “newly created online brokerage account.”

Crucial Quote

FBI Director Kash Patel commented on the arrest on X, saying: “This involved a U.S. soldier who allegedly took advantage of his position to profit off of a righteous military operation.” In a follow-up post highlighting the federal agency’s work on Thursday, Patel identified Van Dyke as an “Active-duty Green Beret.”

How Has Polymarket Reacted To The Soldier’s Arrest?

In a statement issued on X, Polymarket wrote: “Last month, we published our enhanced market integrity rules to combat insider trading. When we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ & cooperated with their investigation.”

How Has President Donald Trump Reacted?

When reporters at the Oval Office asked President Donald Trump about the charges he said he didn’t know anything about the case before asking, “Was he betting that they would get him or they wouldn’t get him?” When he was told the soldier allegedly bet on Maduro’s removal, Trump said, “That’s like Pete Rose betting on his own team…Now, if he bet against his team, that would be no good. But he bet on his own. I’ll look into it.” When asked if he was concerned about such insider betting, the president said: “Well, you know, the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino…I was never much in favor of it. I don’t like it, conceptually. But it is what it is. No, I think that I’m not happy with any of that stuff, but they have all these different sites. They have predictive markets.”

Tangent

Despite the president’s apparent criticism of betting markets, the parent company of his Truth Social platform, Trump Media & Technology Group, has announced plans to launch its own online prediction market in partnership with Crypto.com. The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., also serves on Polymarket’s advisory board, and his firm, 1789 Capital, has invested in the crypto betting platform.

Chief Critic

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., urged Trump to pardon the soldier in a post on X, saying only punishing him would amount to skewed justice. She wrote: “Maybe not a popular take but I am calling for this guy to be pardoned. Unless the DOJ plans on going after all the crooks in congress currently insider trading, this is simply skewed justice.” She added that she doesn’t agree with Van Dyke’s alleged actions and “he should be required to disgorge all the profits however, unless the DOJ plans on doing Congress next, this is not justice.”