US soldier charged with insider betting on Maduro arrest operation

US Army Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, has been charged by the US Department of Justice for insider trading. Prosecutors allege that Van Dyke utilized classified information regarding Operation Absolute Resolve, a military mission to detain Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, to place bets on the Polymarket cryptocurrency platform. Between January 2026, when Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were allegedly captured in Caracas and transported to New York, and the time the operation became public, Van Dyke reportedly wagered over $33,000. These bets resulted in profits exceeding $409,000. Federal authorities state that Van Dyke attempted to conceal the activity by moving funds to foreign crypto accounts and deleting account data. US Attorney Jay Clayton stated that the defendant violated government trust for personal financial gain by exploiting sensitive military operation details. The charges include federal crimes related to the misuse of non-public information.