Soldier is charged for betting on Maduro’s ouster!
New York, Apr. 23 (EFE).-
The United States Department of Justice charged a soldier on Thursday with using classified information regarding the capture of Venezuela’s ousted president, Nicolás Maduro, to place bets that earned him approximately 400,000 dollars.
The soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, participated in the planning and execution of the operation that led to Maduro’s capture on Jan. 3, and used the information to profit on Polymarket, one of the leading prediction markets, according to a statement.
Van Dyke, who was stationed at a military base in North Carolina, placed 13 bets between Dec. 27 and Jan. 2, 2026, and concealed his identity in markets related to Maduro and Venezuela, the statement added.
The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, who is leading the case, emphasized that the soldier’s actions were insider trading and warned that prediction markets are not a “safe haven” for such misconduct.
The soldier, subject to confidentiality agreements, had been involved in the so-called “Operation Absolute Resolution” since Dec. 8, 2025.
On Dec. 26, he created an account on Polymarket and began placing bets related to Maduro and Venezuela worth 33,000 dollars, answering “yes” to positions regarding whether the Chavista leader would be “out” before Dec. 31, 2026, among others.
US President Donald Trump, when asked by the press, said he was unaware of the news but recalled the case of baseball player Pete Rose, who was banned from the MLB for “betting on his own team.”
The man is charged with three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, one count of wire fraud, and another of illegal money transactions, with maximum sentences ranging from 10 to 20 years in prison for each, if convicted. EFE
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