U.S. Special Forces Soldier Arrested For Betting On Maduro’s Removal Using Classified Intelligence

U.S. Special Forces Soldier Arrested for Betting on Maduro’s Removal Using Classified Intelligence A U.S. special forces soldier involved in the military operation that led to the capture of Venezuela’s former leader, Nicolás Maduro, has been arrested after allegedly using classified information to place bets predicting the outcome of the mission before it became public knowledge. The soldier, identified as Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, is accused of betting on the timing and success of Maduro’s removal while actively participating in the planning and execution of the covert operation known as “Operation Absolute Resolve.” According to U.S. federal prosecutors, Van Dyke allegedly used nonpublic military intelligence to place multiple wagers on the prediction market platform Polymarket, betting that Maduro would be removed from power before official confirmation was released. Investigators say the bets were placed shortly before the operation was publicly announced and resulted in profits exceeding $400,000 after Maduro was captured during the January 2026 military raid in Caracas. The U.S. Department of Justice charged Van Dyke with several offences, including wire fraud, commodities fraud, theft of confidential government information, unlawful use of classified data, and illegal financial transactions.

Authorities allege that the soldier accessed sensitive operational details while serving within the special operations command structure supporting the mission, which gave him advance knowledge of the timing and outcome of the raid.

Van Dyke, who had been part of the team involved in the planning of the operation, reportedly placed at least 13 bets linked to Maduro’s political fate between December 2025 and early January 2026. Federal officials described the conduct as a serious breach of military ethics and national security protocols, noting that classified information must never be used for personal financial gain.

The case has also drawn attention to the growing influence of prediction markets like Polymarket, where users can bet on real-world political and military outcomes, raising fresh concerns about insider trading risks in digital forecasting platforms.

If convicted, Van Dyke faces decades in prison as U.S. authorities intensify scrutiny over the misuse of sensitive government intelligence for private profit.