US arrests special forces soldier who earned $400,000 betting on Maduro's arrest

Nicolás Maduro and his wife being transported from Venezuela to Manhattan (New York). Photo: XNY/Star Max/GC Images

US authorities have arrested a special forces soldier who, according to the indictment, bet that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would be removed from power, thus earning over $409,000, writes BBC.

The US Department of Justice stated that Gannon Ken Van Dyke possessed information about the preparation of a US special forces operation to detain Maduro and, based on this, placed bets on the Polymarket prediction exchange.

"This clearly constitutes insider trading, which is prohibited by federal laws," the US Department of Justice statement said.

Van Dyke is an active-duty soldier serving at the US military base Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

According to prosecutors, from December 8, 2025, and at least until January 6, Van Dyke participated in the planning and implementation of "Operation Absolute Resolve," which resulted in Maduro's capture.

US forces captured Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores on January 3, conducting a one-day operation in Caracas. They were brought to New York, where authorities charged them with arms and drug trafficking. The deposed Venezuelan president and his wife deny these charges.

The US Department of Justice alleges that Van Dyke placed bets on the timing and outcome of the US operation.

The indictment states that on December 25, 2025, he created an account on Polymarket and began placing Venezuela-related bets. He reportedly wagered a total of $33,000.

Polymarket itself has already commented on the situation.

"When we identified a user placing bets based on non-public government information, we referred the matter to the Department of Justice and cooperated with their investigation," the company stated. "There is no place for insider trading on Polymarket. Today's arrest proves that our system works correctly."

Van Dyke is charged with unlawful use of classified government data for personal enrichment, theft of non-public information, fraud, and illegal transactions.

"Our service members are entrusted with classified data so they can carry out their duties as safely and effectively as possible. They are prohibited from using highly sensitive information for personal financial gain," said acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche. "Widespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information are fully applicable here."

Trump: "I don't like any of it"

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump commented on the situation with betting on various events.

"I don't like any of it," Trump said in response to a question about concerns that prediction markets could provoke insider trading.

"The whole world, unfortunately, has, in a certain sense, turned into a casino. If you look at everything happening around the world, in Europe, in other places, all these bets are being made. I've never liked it," he stated.

As AFP reminds, shortly before the start of the US-Israel war with Iran, six accounts on the Polymarket exchange earned $1.2 million after betting that the conflict would begin on February 28.

No one has been arrested in connection with these bets, and there is currently no evidence that people connected to US authorities were involved.

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