A U.S. Army soldier was indicted on Thursday by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for using confidential intel to bet on former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro’s ouster.
Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke not only participated in the planning and execution of the January raid to capture Maduro, but he also allegedly used information about the raid beforehand to earn over $400,000 making bets on Polymarket, according to a DOJ press release.
U.S. Soldier Charged With Using Classified Information To Profit From Prediction Market Bets
Gannon Ken Van Dyke allegedly made more than $400,000 trading on polymarket on the basis of classified information regarding the timing of a U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás… pic.twitter.com/528YaGQr8N
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) April 23, 2026
“[O]n or about Dec. 26, 2025, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account, funded it, and began trading on Maduro- and Venezuela-related markets,” the press release notes. “In total, Van Dyke made approximately 13 bets [starting] from Dec. 27, 2025.”
All the bets, over $30,000 in total, were bullish on the United States invading Venezuela and potentially ousting its then-dictator, Maduro.
After the Jan. 3 raid that resulted in Maduro’s capture, Van Dyke won “several” of his bets to the tune of $409,881, most of which he reportedly sent “to a foreign cryptocurrency vault before depositing them into a newly created online brokerage account,” from which he then withdrew the money.
Following Maduro’s capture and the publicization of Operation Absolute Resolve, reports began to emerge of “unusual trading” on Polymarket. Van Dyke responded by desperately attempting to conceal his identity by, as an example, deleting his Polymarket account.
He’s since been charged with “unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction.”
Here is the bet that U.S. Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke was charged with placing to win $409,882
pic.twitter.com/r4PGTfLjlo
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) April 24, 2026
“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,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “Widespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply.”
“Today’s announcement 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,” FBI Director Kash Patel added. “Any clearance holders thinking of cashing in their access and knowledge for personal gain will be held accountable.”
What remains unknown is his fate. While he reportedly faces 60 years in prison, some on the right have begun calling for his pardon, including Rep. Anna Paulina Luna:
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is stirring debate over the case of the U.S. soldier accused of profiting from insider knowledge of a military operation.
“So many Members of Congress are engaging in insider trading everyday. For the DOJ to throw the book at Gannon Ken Van Dyke is a… pic.twitter.com/5mR1sIQO9H
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) April 24, 2026
“Maybe not a popular take but I am calling for this guy to be pardoned,” the congresswoman wrote in a tweet published late Thursday. “Unless the DOJ plans on going after all the crooks in Congress currently insider trading, this is simply skewed justice.”
“There is no ‘justice’ when guys like this get the book thrown at him yet members are illegally profiting every day. I don’t agree with what he did and he should be required to disgorge all the profits however, unless the DOJ plans on doing Congress next, this is not justice,” she added.
On the other side of the aisle are critics like Ryan Saavedra of The Daily Wire, who believes “[t]he answer to people in Congress being involved in insider trading is not to get other people off,” but rather to “go after the people in Congress too or remove Congress’s ability to trade and prosecute those who find ways to skirt the rules.”
It’s stunning how many people think this person should be pardoned.
Absolutely not.
Throw the book at him. He jeopardized the mission and the lives of those who were executing it.
The answer to people in Congress being involved in insider trading is not to get other people… https://t.co/qQhgq2ce3U
— Ryan Saavedra (@RyanSaavedra) April 24, 2026
