Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro display a national flag during a rally on May Day in Caracas on May 1, 2019. Agence France-Presse, file

Article (news)

Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro display a national flag during a rally on May Day in Caracas on May 1, 2019. Agence France-Presse, file 

Deutsche Welle

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177700410746417674279794441767427977123.webp" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro display a national flag during a rally on May Day in Caracas on May 1, 2019. Agence France-Presse, file"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro display a national flag during a rally on May Day in Caracas on May 1, 2019. <em>Agence France-Presse, file </em></span></span></span></div><p>A US Army Special Forces soldier has been charged with using classified information to make more than $400,000 betting on an online prediction market tied to the January operation that captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the US Justice Department said on Thursday.</p><p>Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, allegedly used sensitive details from the mission to place around 13 wagers on Polymarket, an online betting market, that US forces would enter Caracas and depose Maduro.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/3/6/us-venezuela-restore-ties-as-washington-pushes-for-minerals-access-1035">US, Venezuela restore ties as Washington pushes for minerals access<br/></a></div><p>According to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, &quot;Van Dyke participated in the planning and execution&quot; of the military operation to capture Maduro and &quot;used his access to classified information about that operation to personally profit.&quot;</p><p>He later moved most of the proceeds into a foreign cryptocurrency account before transferring funds to a new brokerage account, prosecutors allege.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>What did US authorities say?</strong></div><p>Van Dyke was indicted in federal court in Manhattan on charges including unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain and wire fraud.</p><p>If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 50 years in prison.</p><p>&quot;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,&quot; Blanche said in a statement.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/1/30/us-eases-venezuela-sanctions-after-oil-sector-reforms-1049">US eases Venezuela sanctions after oil sector reforms<br/></a></div><p>&quot;Insider trading has no place on Polymarket,” the company said in a statement on the social platform X, adding that it cooperated with investigators.</p><p>Other documented incidents of betting on government actions</p><p>There have been other instances of bets placed on prediction markets related to the US government:</p><p>Earlier this year, six Polymarket accounts made $1.2 million by betting that the US would attack Iran on Feb. 28, the day the war began. No arrests have been made in this case.</p><p>In March, traders who bet in advance made millions of dollars, according to AFP calculations, after Trump&#x27;s announcement of &quot;very productive&quot; talks with Iran sent oil prices lower and stocks higher.</p><p>New Polymarket accounts made hundreds of thousands of dollars from precise bets on a US-Iran ceasefire on April 7, the Associated Press reported.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/1/16/machado-says-she-presented-trump-with-her-nobel-peace-prize-medal-0855">Machado says she presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal<br/></a></div><p>The White House has warned staff against using non-public information to trade on prediction markets.</p><div><em>Edited by: Karl Sexton</em></div><div><em><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/us-soldier-allegedly-made-400k-on-polymarket-betting-on-maduro-raid/a-76918858"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1774855555426dw-dark-blue-4c_page-0001.jpg" style="width:69px !important;height:50px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil"/></a></em></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><em></em><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RenU5j8cvlg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><em></em><br/></div>

<p>Prosecutors say the soldier used classified information of the Maduro operation to place winning bets on Polymarket. The case comes amid other incidents of prediction market bets tied to US government actions.</p>

Prosecutors say the soldier used classified information of the Maduro operation to place winning bets on Polymarket. The case comes amid other incidents of prediction market bets tied to US government actions.

US soldier allegedly made $400K betting on Maduro raid

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US soldier allegedly made $400K betting on Maduro raid

Deutsche Welle,

Shakeel Sobhan

Published April 24, 2026 12:19 PM PHT

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Updated April 24, 2026 03:15 PM PHT

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United States

Venezuela

Nicolas Maduro

Polymarket

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