Authorities arrest special forces soldier who allegedly made $400k on Polymarket bet involving Maduro operation

A peculiar forces worker progressive successful the cognition that captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has been indicted by the U.S. Justice Department. His alleged crime? Making galore bets connected the prediction marketplace Polymarket that Maduro would beryllium removed from power, for which helium is said to person made upwards of $400,000.

Authorities assertion Gannon Ken Van Dyke, who was progressive successful the “planning and execution” of Operation Absolute Resolve (the stratagem that toppled and captured the Venezuelan leader), made bets connected Polymarket astir whether the U.S. would deploy forces into Venezuela and region Maduro from power.

Van Dyke was arrested connected Thursday, CBS reports, citing a instrumentality enforcement source.

Federal officials accidental that Van Dyke’s wagers were informed by classified accusation helium had entree to arsenic a effect of being a authorities insider. The authorities notes that Van Dyke signed nondisclosure agreements prohibiting him from ever divulging, publishing, oregon revealing “by writing, words, conduct, oregon different . . . immoderate classified oregon delicate information” related to the subject operations helium was progressive with.

In December, Van Dyke created a Polymarket relationship and began making wagers involving “Maduro- and Venezuela-related markets,” officials say. Between Dec. 27, 2025 and Jan. 26 of this year, helium allegedly made 13 bets totaling immoderate $33,034 successful full connected things similar “U.S. Forces successful Venezuela . . . by January 31, 2026” and “Maduro retired by . . . January 31, 2026.” Officials accidental that, aft collecting his winnings, Van Dyke besides took steps to screen up his ties to the relationship that made the wagers.

Van Dyke faces a assortment of charges, including violating the Commodity Exchange Act, ligament fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction.

“Our men and women successful azygous are trusted with classified accusation successful bid to execute their ngo arsenic safely and efficaciously arsenic possible, and are prohibited from utilizing this highly delicate accusation for idiosyncratic fiscal gain,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Widespread entree to prediction markets is simply a comparatively caller phenomenon, but national laws protecting nationalist information accusation afloat apply.”

Prediction markets person inspired contention ever since their launch. But implicit the past year, the sites person grown successful prominence and influence, striking deals with media outlets and sports organizations portion besides seeing wide use, including by nationalist officials. Legislation is presently being mulled that would prohibition nationalist officials from utilizing nonpublic accusation to marque bets connected prediction sites.