U.S. Special Forces Soldier Pleads Not Guilty to Betting on Maduro Capture

A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges accusing him of using classified information to place bets on the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, entered the plea in a New York federal court.

Prosecutors allege he bet more than $33,000 on Polymarket, netting over $400,000 in gains. The charges include unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction.

Van Dyke, a master sergeant stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, has been on active duty since 2008 and joined Special Forces in 2023. He was released on a $250,000 personal recognizance bond, with travel restricted to New York, North Carolina, and California.

Dyke participated in the planning and execution of Operation Absolute Resolve, the U.S. military raid that captured Maduro on January 3, 2026, in Caracas. Prosecutors say he accessed sensitive classified information and signed non-disclosure agreements prohibiting its use for personal gain.

He created a Polymarket account on December 26, 2025, and placed about 13 bets from December 27, 2025, through January 2, 2026, wagering that Maduro would be removed by January 31. On the day of the raid, Van Dyke withdrew most of his proceeds from Polymarket.

He allegedly transferred earnings to a foreign cryptocurrency vault and a new online brokerage account. Three days later, on January 6, he requested Polymarket delete his account, claiming lost access to the associated email. Shayne Coplan, Polymarket's founder and CEO, stated the company cooperated proactively with officials.

A rival platform, Kalshi, rejected Van Dyke's attempt to create an account after he failed their user verification process. A photograph uploaded to Van Dyke's Google account on January 3 showed him in military fatigues on what appeared to be a ship deck at sunrise, carrying a rifle with three others.

Prosecutors cited this as evidence of his involvement in the operation. Van Dyke's defense attorney said his military status is currently unsettled, with him on leave.

“Noise aside, the reality is we work proactively with all relevant authorities on any suspicious activity on our marketplace. military operation ousted Maduro, who was captured along with his wife during a nighttime raid. Maduro was transported aboard the USS Iwo Jima. Polymarket had hosted event contracts on Maduro's potential capture since 2025. Van Dyke was arrested earlier in April on these charges. His actions came amid media reports of unusual trading on Maduro-related contracts. He is scheduled to appear in court again in June. The indictment highlights that Van Dyke took steps to conceal his identity, including the account deletion request following public scrutiny of the trades. Prosecutors allege he violated federal laws protecting national security information. The case underscores restrictions on using classified data in emerging prediction markets.”