DOJ Arrests Gannon Ken Van Dyke Over Polymarket Bets Tied to Maduro Capture

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a special operations soldier involved in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, after prosecutors said he used classified information to profit from prediction market bets on Polymarket.

ABC News reported that federal investigators said Van Dyke bet more than $33,000 on the prediction market Polymarket just days before President Donald Trump announced Maduro’s capture, and that the series of bets netted more than $409,000.

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NBC News said Van Dyke “bet a total of approximately $33,034” on the Maduro operation on Polymarket and “ultimately made more than $409,000 as a result of the bets placed on the U.S. operation.”

Multiple outlets described the same core allegation: Van Dyke allegedly traded on markets tied to Operation Absolute Resolve before the information was publicly available.

The DOJ charged Van Dyke with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, and wire fraud, and Axios reported the indictment was unsealed in the Southern District of New York.

BBC similarly said Van Dyke “won more than $409,000 (£303,702) as a result of his bets,” and said the DOJ alleged he made bets “on the basis of classified information.”

In the same reporting, Polymarket said it referred the matter to the DOJ and cooperated with the investigation, with the company stating, “Insider trading has no place on Polymarket. Today's arrest is proof the system works.”

Prosecutors tied Van Dyke’s alleged trading to a specific sequence of dates around Operation Absolute Resolve, the mission that captured Maduro.

BBC reported that the DOJ alleged that “on or about 26 December 2025, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and began trading on Maduro and Venezuela-related markets,” and that he was accused of making bets of more than $33,000 while in possession of classified nonpublic information.

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CNBC said Van Dyke “wagered a total of about $33,000 in 13 or so bets in the week leading up to that operation,” and that “The bets won Van Dyke nearly $410,000, the indictment alleges.”

NBC News said authorities alleged Van Dyke “participated in the planning and execution of the U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro,” and that “In total, Van Dyke made approximately 13 bets from Dec. 27, 2025, through the evening of Jan. 26.”

Time Magazine reported that the indictment alleged Van Dyke used sensitive classified information to make multiple bets totaling “almost $34,000” on Polymarket “in the lead-up to the operation on Jan. 3.”

CNBC said the indictment alleged that Van Dyke made bets that included “U.S. forces would be in Venezuela by Jan. 31, 2026; that Maduro would be out of office by that date; that the U.S would invade that country by Jan. 31; or that President Donald Trump would invoke the War Powers Act against the country by that date.”

After the raid, prosecutors alleged concealment steps including that Van Dyke asked Polymarket to delete his account and changed email addresses, with NBC News reporting that “on Jan. 6, three days after the Maudro raid, Van Dyke “asked Polymarket to delete his Polymarket account, falsely claiming that he had lost access to the email address.”

The case drew statements from U.S. law enforcement and prosecutors, alongside responses from Polymarket and comments from President Donald Trump.

“DOJ arrests soldier who made $400,000 betting on Maduro's removal Gannon Ken Van Dyke, who allegedly placed the bet, helped with Maduro's capture”

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Axios quoted FBI assistant director in charge James Barnacle saying Van Dyke profited more than $400,000 by trading after learning of the operation because of his role as a U.S. Army soldier, and it described that Van Dyke had signed nondisclosure agreements promising to “never divulge, publish, or reveal by writing, words, conduct, or otherwise ... any classified or sensitive information.”

BBC and NBC News both quoted U.S. acting Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasizing that “Our men and women in uniform are trusted with classified information in order to accomplish their mission as safely and effectively as possible, and are prohibited from using this highly sensitive information for personal financial gain.”

NBC News also quoted FBI Director Kash Patel saying the indictment “makes clear no one is above the law, and this FBI will do whatever it takes to defend the homeland and safeguard our nation’s secrets.”

On the prediction market side, Polymarket said, “When we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ & cooperated with their investigation,” and repeated, “Insider trading has no place on Polymarket. Today's arrest is proof the system works.”

Several outlets also reported that Van Dyke’s legal representation was not immediately clear, with NBC News saying “An attorney for Van Dyke was not listed on the court docket, and no one answered cell phone numbers listed for him Thursday evening.”

President Trump commented when asked about the alleged betting, telling reporters, “That's like Pete Rose betting on his own team,” and later saying, “the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino,” while adding, “I’m not happy with any of that stuff.”

The arrest and indictment were framed by multiple outlets as a test of how regulators and prosecutors pursue insider trading tied to sensitive government information, and as a signal that prediction markets are not insulated from federal enforcement.

Axios said the case “lands as regulators and lawmakers intensify scrutiny of prediction markets,” and it described it as “This is the first time the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has filed charges of insider trading in connection with event contracts, per a CFTC statement.”

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Wired similarly said Van Dyke was “the first person to be charged with insider trading on a prediction market in the United States,” and it quoted CFTC chair Michael Selig warning that the defendant “endangered US national security and put the lives of American service members in harm’s way.”

BBC reported that the CFTC “said it had also filed a complaint against Van Dyke accusing him of engaging in insider trading,” and it described the DOJ charges as including unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction.

CNBC added that the CFTC filed a civil complaint with “three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act,” while the criminal case was filed in Manhattan federal court.

The reporting also connected the case to broader political and market developments, including Kalshi’s enforcement actions and the growing use of prediction markets.

NPR reported that the Biden administration “cracked down on Polymarket and forced it to wind down its U.S. operations,” while the Trump administration “has given the controversial site a warmer reception,” dropping a criminal investigation and allowing a separate U.S. exchange overseen by regulators in Washington.