Gannon Ken Van Dyke faces five charges for allegedly betting on Venezuelan president’s ouster before taking part in raid capturing him By Lila Roberts April 26, 2026 A U.S. Army special forces soldier has been charged with using classified information to profit from a prediction market bet on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, federal prosecutors announced this week. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a 38-year-old master sergeant stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, allegedly used his access to non-public government information about a clandestine military operation to place bets on Polymarket, a popular prediction market platform. According to the indictment unsealed in New York federal court, Van Dyke participated in the planning and execution of the January raid that resulted in Maduro’s apprehension. Federal authorities allege that Van Dyke made more than $400,000 in profits after wagering approximately $33,000 across 13 trades on Polymarket. The bets were specifically tied to the outcome of Maduro being out of power by January 31, 2026. Prosecutors state that despite signing nondisclosure agreements prohibiting the disclosure of classified or sensitive information related to the operation, Van Dyke exploited his position for personal financial gain. The charges against Van Dyke include unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction. Each count carries potential penalties of significant fines and imprisonment. Van Dyke appeared in federal court in North Carolina on Friday morning and was released on a $250,000 unsecured bond. A federal magistrate judge has ordered him to appear in court in New York on Tuesday to face the charges. Public records reviewed by NBC News present that Van Dyke has been an active-duty soldier in the U.S. Army since 2008 and is associated with at least seven properties in the Fayetteville area, where he has described himself as a real estate investor and property manager with over a decade of experience. Polymarket, one of the largest prediction markets globally, reported that it identified suspicious trading activity linked to classified government information, alerted the U.S. Department of Justice, and cooperated with the ensuing investigation. The case marks the first time U.S. Officials have pursued criminal charges related to wagers placed on a prediction market using insider knowledge. The Justice Department and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission jointly filed the actions against Van Dyke, underscoring the seriousness with which federal agencies are treating the misuse of classified information in financial markets, including emerging platforms like prediction markets. As of this writing, no attorney has been listed in the court docket for Van Dyke, and attempts to reach him via a telephone number listed in public records were unsuccessful. The case continues to develop as legal proceedings move forward.
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