WASHINGTON: A United States Special Forces soldier has been charged with multiple federal offences after allegedly using classified intelligence from a covert military operation to profit more than $400,000 through bets placed on a prediction market platform, federal officials announced Thursday.
Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a 38-year-old Master Sergeant stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, is accused of exploiting sensitive operational details from a January mission aimed at capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Federal prosecutors say he used insider knowledge gained during his involvement in the planning and execution of the operation to trade on Polymarket, an online prediction market where users wager on real-world events.
According to the US Attorney’s Office in New York, Van Dyke was directly involved in the operation for approximately one month starting in December 2025.
During this period, he signed nondisclosure agreements committing not to disclose or misuse classified or sensitive information.
Investigators allege that in late December, he opened a Polymarket account and placed around 13 bets on outcomes linked to the Venezuela operation, including whether US forces would be deployed in the country and whether Maduro would be removed from power by a specified deadline.
According to AP, prosecutors claim these wagers were based on non-public military intelligence. Authorities further allege that Van Dyke profited heavily from these bets, earning over $400,000.
Following the operation, he reportedly attempted to obscure the origin of his gains by transferring funds into cryptocurrency wallets and then into a new brokerage account.
He is also accused of requesting the deletion of his Polymarket account under the pretext of lost email access.
Van Dyke now faces a range of serious charges, including unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of non-public government data, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making unlawful monetary transactions. If convicted, he could face a lengthy prison sentence.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that the case demonstrates that “no one is above the law,” warning that individuals with security clearances who misuse privileged information for financial gain will be held accountable.
The Department of Justice has not disclosed full operational details of the Venezuela mission, but court filings indicate Van Dyke was photographed aboard a vessel after the raid, dressed in military fatigues and armed, alongside other personnel.
The Pentagon has referred all inquiries to the US Army and the Department of Justice, while US Special Operations Command has declined to comment.
The case comes amid growing scrutiny of prediction markets such as Polymarket, where users trade on geopolitical and financial outcomes.
Earlier reporting also highlighted unusual betting activity linked to international events, prompting regulatory concern over the potential misuse of insider or sensitive information in digital wagering markets.
