Share to ClassroomSoldier Secretly Bet on His Own Raid
A United States Army special forces soldier has been charged with using secret military information to make more than $400,000by betting on the outcome of the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Prosecutors say Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, who was based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, helped plan and carry out the raid in Caracas on January 3, 2026. The operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, led to Maduro's arrest. Days before the raid, Van Dyke opened an account on Polymarket, a cryptocurrency-based prediction market, and placed about 13 bets worth $32,000that Maduro would lose power by the end of January.
Prediction markets are websites where people bet on the outcomes of real events, such as elections or weather. Polymarket, based in Panama, has grown quickly in recent years. Van Dyke used fake names to place his bets, including the username Burdensome-Mix. After the raid succeeded and Maduro was captured, Van Dyke's bets paid out roughly $409,881. He then moved the money through a foreign cryptocurrency account into a new investment account. This is the first time the United States government has brought criminal charges against someone for insider trading on a prediction market.
When journalists and online investigators noticed the unusually large payouts connected to the Maduro operation, Van Dyke tried to hide his identity. He asked Polymarket to delete his account just three days after the raid, claiming he had lost access to his email. He also changed the email linked to his cryptocurrency account. Van Dyke now faces five criminal charges, including wire fraud and commodities fraud, and could spend up to 20 years in prison. Polymarket's top legal officer warned that users who break the law on the platform will be found.
