Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a 38-year-old U.S. Army Special Forces Master Sgt., has been arrested and charged for allegedly using classified government information to bet on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Federal authorities announced Thursday that Van Dyke used insider knowledge from his role in planning the January military operation to place wagers on the prediction market Polymarket.
Prosecutors allege that Van Dyke opened a Polymarket account in December and profited more than $400,000 from bets tied to Maduro's removal from office. He is charged with one count of wire fraud, one count of an unlawful monetary transaction, and three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act.
If convicted on all counts, Van Dyke faces a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison, though some reports indicate he could face up to 60 years. Polymarket stated it flagged the user to the U.S. Department of Justice and cooperated with the investigation. This case comes amid other incidents of prediction market bets tied to U.S. government actions.