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 accused of using confidential information to place bets on the prediction market Polymarket ahead of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s capture earlier this year.

On Thursday, prosecutors said Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, participated in the planning and the execution of the January military operation to capture Maduro. 

"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," said FBI Director Kash Patel in a statement. "Any clearance holders thinking of cashing in their access and knowledge for personal gain will be held accountable."

On Jan. 3, President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces had taken Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, into custody. At the time, prosecutors said Maduro "moved loads of cocaine under the protection of Venezuelan law enforcement," and worked with others to traffic cocaine. That same day, reports surfaced that a Polymarket account wagered that Maduro would be "out" by the end of the month, netting $400,000, sparking concerns of inside information.

Lawmakers have since introduced legislation to block elected officials and others from making certain bets on prediction markets around government policy and government action. This week, House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill told Punchbowl News that key committees are looking into whether changes should be made to the federal law that oversees prediction markets.

Prosecutors say Van Dyke signed nondisclosure agreements, but created a Polymarket account in December and began trading on Venezuela and Maduro-related markets. He made 13 bets and spent over $33,000 in total, including ones about whether Maduro would be out by the end of January, and when the U.S. would invade Venezuela, prosecutors said. 

From his bets, Van Dyke made about $409,881 and later tried to hide his identity in part by asking Polymarket to delete his account, prosecutors said. 

Van Dyke was charged with three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, one count of wire fraud and one count of unlawful monetary transaction, facing a maximum of 60 years in prison. 

On Thursday, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission also filed a complaint in a parallel action and is seeking disgorgement, restitution and civil penalties. 

"The defendant was entrusted with confidential information about U.S. operations and yet took action that endangered U.S. national security and put the lives of American service members in harm’s way," said CFTC Chair Michael Selig. 

In a post on X following Van Dyke's arrest, Polymarket said it cooperated with the DOJ. 

"When we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ & cooperated with their investigation," the platform said.  "Insider trading has no place on Polymarket. Today's arrest is proof the system works."

Updated at 10:55 p.m. UTC on April 23 to include a statement from Polymarket