U.S. Soldier Faces Indictment Over Alleged Insider Trading on Venezuelan President’s Capture
An active-duty U.S. Army soldier is under scrutiny for allegedly profiting from classified military information related to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. This case has raised significant concerns about the misuse of sensitive data for personal gain.
Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, was indicted by the Justice Department for reportedly capitalizing on his access to classified information. He allegedly made over $400,000 by trading on Polymarket, a prediction marketplace, while involved in the military operation named “Operation Absolute Resolve,” aimed at capturing Maduro.
Van Dyke is facing serious charges, including three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, each carrying a potential 10-year prison sentence. Additionally, he is charged with wire fraud, which could lead to a 20-year sentence, and an unlawful monetary transaction charge, which also carries a 10-year penalty.
“Our men and women in uniform are trusted with classified information in order to accomplish their mission as safely and effectively as possible, and are prohibited from using this highly sensitive information for personal financial gain,” stated Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Widespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply,” he added.
The legal proceedings against Van Dyke were initiated before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian Meyers in the Eastern District of North Carolina, with the case being assigned to U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in the Southern District of New York.
Allegations and Financial Gains
Van Dyke, stationed at Fort Bragg, is accused of breaking his nondisclosure agreements, which explicitly prohibited him from sharing or using classified military information. Allegedly, he exploited his privileged access starting around December 8, 2025, continuing until at least January 6, 2026.
The operation resulted in the capture of Maduro and his wife in the early hours of January 3, 2026, in Caracas. Following the operation, President Donald Trump announced the successful mission, coinciding with Polymarket resolving trades related to Maduro’s status and U.S. military presence in Venezuela. This alignment allegedly resulted in Van Dyke amassing roughly $409,881 from an initial bet of approximately $33,034.
The indictment states that on the day of the operation, Van Dyke withdrew most of his alleged profits from Polymarket and transferred them to a foreign cryptocurrency vault. He then moved the funds into a newly created online brokerage account.
“Prediction markets are not a haven for using misappropriated confidential or classified information for personal gain,” commented U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. He further emphasized that Van Dyke’s actions constituted clear insider trading, which is illegal under federal law.
Those entrusted to safeguard our nation’s secrets have a duty to protect them and our armed service members, and not to use that information for personal financial gain. Our Office will continue to hold accountable those who misuse confidential or classified information in a way that undermines and exploits our national security.
The indictment outlines Van Dyke’s attempts to conceal his identity as the trader, including requesting Polymarket to delete his account and changing the email associated with his cryptocurrency account to one not linked to his name.
