A U.S. special forces soldier who helped capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been indicted for allegedly making a cool $400,000 on Polymarket by betting on the very operation he was involved in. Because why not monetize your day job?
Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a participant in Operation Absolute Resolve - the plan that actually toppled Maduro - is accused of placing 13 bets between December 27, 2025, and January 26, totaling $33,034, on outcomes like “U.S. Forces in Venezuela by January 31, 2026” and “Maduro out by January 31, 2026.” He then collected his winnings and allegedly tried to hide his connection to the account. Predictably, the feds were not amused.
Van Dyke was arrested Thursday, according to a law enforcement source cited by CBS. He faces charges including violating the Commodity Exchange Act, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction. The government says his wagers were based on classified information he accessed as a government insider, despite signing nondisclosure agreements promising not to reveal anything related to his military operations.
“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,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Widespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply.”
Prediction markets have been controversial since launch, but their prominence has grown, with deals with media outlets and sports organizations, and use by public officials. Legislation is being considered to ban public officials from using nonpublic information to bet on prediction sites - a rule that seems to have arrived just a few thousand dollars too late for Van Dyke.