U.S. special forces soldier charged with using classified intel to win $400K bet on Maduro’s capture

Federal prosecutors have charged a U.S. special forces soldier with using classified intelligence to place winning bets worth more than $400,000 on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this year.

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Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke allegedly accessed nonpublic details about a U.S. military operation targeting Maduro and used that information to make a series of wagers on the prediction market Polymarket, according to an unsealed indictment.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said Van Dyke “violated the trust placed in him by the United States Government by using classified information about a sensitive military operation to place bets on the timing and outcome of that very operation, all to turn a profit.”

Van Dyke was directly involved in planning and executing the mission beginning in December 2025, giving him insight into the timing and likelihood of the operation’s success, according to prosecutors.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in January during a predawn U.S. military seizure in Caracas, when special operations forces stormed their compound after months of intelligence gathering. The couple was quickly taken into custody, extracted under heavy security and flown out of Venezuela to the United States to face federal charges. The pair is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Authorities allege Van Dyke placed more than a dozen bets totaling upward of $33,000 in late December and early January, correctly predicting that Maduro would be removed from power by the end of the month. Those wagers ultimately generated profits exceeding $400,000.  

Van Dyke then attempted to conceal his activity by routing the proceeds through cryptocurrency accounts and other financial channels.

Van Dyke, who was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, faces five criminal charges including theft of government information, wire fraud, commodities fraud and unlawful monetary transactions. Officials said he had signed multiple nondisclosure agreements prohibiting the release or use of classified material linked to the operation.

“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.  “Any clearance holders thinking of cashing in their access and knowledge for personal gain will be held accountable.”