DOJ arrests US soldier accused of using secret intel to make Polymarket bet on Nicolás Maduro’s capture

The Department of Justice has arrested an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, accused of leveraging confidential information to place bets on the prediction market Polymarket. These bets were made ahead of the January military operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Prosecutors stated that Van Dyke participated in the planning and execution of this operation. FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized accountability for those who misuse national security secrets for personal gain. Van Dyke allegedly created a Polymarket account in December, made 13 bets totaling over $33,000 on Venezuela and Maduro-related markets, including whether Maduro would be captured by the end of January and when the U.S. would invade Venezuela. He reportedly profited around $409,881 and attempted to conceal his identity by asking Polymarket to delete his account. Van Dyke faces charges including violating the Commodity Exchange Act and wire fraud, with a potential maximum sentence of 60 years. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has also filed a parallel complaint seeking financial penalties.

(Source：The Block)