The American soldier involved in Maduro’s capture is accused of profiting from information about the Polymarket raid

A U.S. special forces officer involved in the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been charged with using classified information in connection with a bid to win more than $400,000 in online gambling, government officials announced Thursday.

Gannon Ken Van Dyke was part of the operation to capture Maduro in January and used his access to classified information to profit from the Polymarket prediction market, the New York state prosecutor’s office said.

He was charged with illegal use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of non-public government information, embezzlement, embezzlement, and illegal money laundering. He could face years in prison.

Van Dyke, 38, was involved in planning and conducting the operation to kidnap Maduro for about a month from December 8, 2025, according to the prosecutor’s office. He signed nondisclosure agreements promising not to disclose “any confidential or sensitive information” related to the operation, the office said.

Officials allege that Van Dyke created a Polymarket account in late December and placed about 13 bets that took the “Yes” position on bets such as US Forces in Venezuela and Maduro’s exit in Jan. 31, 2026.

“This concerns an American soldier who allegedly used his position to benefit a legitimate military operation,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post.

Officials say that shortly after the operation, Van Dyke moved most of his winnings to an offshore cryptocurrency vault and deposited them into a new trading account. He also asked Polymarket to delete his account, saying he had lost access to his email associated with it, according to the federal prosecutor’s office.

The phone number listed for Van Dyke in public records was out of service. It is not clear if he has a legal representative.

Polymarket said it found a person trading classified government information, notified the US Department of Justice and was “cooperating with their investigation.”

“Inside trading has no place in Polymarket,” the company said in a statement on social media X.

Part of the special forces is the community

Van Dyke joined the Army in 2008 and, in 2023, was promoted to master sergeant, the second-highest rank in the Army, according to the lawsuit.

Federal prosecutors confirmed he was an enlisted soldier who was part of the special forces community and was stationed at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, NC, but their case provided few other details about his military service.

However, the document says Van Dyke was photographed following the raid on the ship’s deck “wearing US military fatigues, and holding a gun, standing with three other people wearing US military fatigues.”

The Pentagon has referred questions about the case to the Army and the Justice Department.

Army officials declined to provide Van Dyke’s service record.

In general, the military services do not care to provide information about members of the special forces and take steps to keep their identities secret.

Earlier this month, the Associated Press reported that a group of new Polymarket accounts made highly specific, well-timed bets on whether the US and Iran would reach an agreement to end the war on April 7, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits for these new customers.

On the same day the AP published the report, the White House warned staffers about using private information to trade in prediction markets.

On Wednesday, another prediction market, Kalshi, fined and suspended three congressional candidates for allegedly betting on their election results.

Prediction markets allow people to bet on everything from sports to elections and have prompted bipartisan scrutiny from Congress and calls for tougher laws.