US soldier allegedly bet on Maduro operation using intel
The US military launched strikes on Caracas on January 3, arresting Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores and whisking them to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
Toppled Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces on January 3, 2026 and spirited away to New York to stand trial on drug charges. (AFP)
WASHINGTON - A US soldier faces charges for using classified information to bet on online prediction markets related to the US operation to capture former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, the Department of Justice said Thursday.
US Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, allegedly made over $400,000 (sh1.49 billion) using the online platform Polymarket after betting on outcomes related to US forces arriving in Venezuela's capital Caracas and deposing Maduro -- an operation he helped plan and execute, according to justice officials.
The US military launched strikes on Caracas on January 3, arresting Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores and whisking them to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
"Our men and women in uniform are trusted with classified information in order to accomplish their mission...and are prohibited from using this highly sensitive information for personal financial gain," Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
Van Dyke faces one count of wire fraud, one count of an unlawful monetary transaction and three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, according to the indictment.
If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison.