Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, far right, listens as his defense attorney, Barry Pollack, center, addresses Judge Alvin Hellerstien (not pictured), as Maduro's wife Cilia Flores, far left, looks on. Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Manhattan federal court inNew York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
2026-04-23T22:12:21Z
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. soldier has been charged with using inside information to win $400,000 in an online betting market on Venezuelan President Maduro’s capture, federal officials announced Thursday.
Gannon Ken Van Dyk was part of the work to capture Maduro in January and used his access to classified information to make money on the prediction market site Polymarket, the federal prosecutor’s office in New York said.
Van Dyk was a senior enlisted soldier who was part of the special forces community and stationed at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina, according to the indictment, but it offers little other details about his military service.
He has been charged with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction.
The Pentagon referred questions on the case to the Army and the Department of Justice. US Special Operations Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Van Dyke joined the Army in 2008 and, in 2023, was promoted to the rank of Master Sergeant, the second-highest enlisted rank in the Army, according to the indictment.
Post expires at 8:08pm on Friday April 24th, 2026