Federal agents arrested a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier involved in the deadly operation to arrest ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after allegedly winning more than $400,000 from a Polymarket bet on his capture.
Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, is charged with three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
He also faces one count of wire fraud and one count of an unlawful monetary transaction.
Van Dyke allegedly used his access to classified information in a series of bets waging more than $33,000 on the prediction market hours before Donald Trump announced Maduro’s capture in January, according to Thursday’s indictment unsealed in New York federal court.
“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,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
“Widespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply,” he added.
FBI Director Kash Patel said that “any clearance holders thinking of cashing in their access and knowledge for personal gain will be held accountable.”
This is a developing story
