Who is Gannon Ken Van Dyke? US soldier arrested for a secret mission betting that earned him $400K on Polymarket

Gannon Ken Van Dyke is a 38-year-old US Army Special Forces soldier posted at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. He was an active-duty soldier and had signed agreements not to share or misuse secret government information. He was part of a secret US military mission called “Operation Absolute Resolve”. This mission was planned to capture Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro.

The operation was carried out on January 3, 2026, when US forces captured Maduro and his wife in Caracas, as noted by Hindustan Times. The mission was done under the direction of US President Donald Trump. After the capture, Maduro and his wife were taken to the United States to face legal charges. While working on this mission, Van Dyke had access to highly secret and non-public information like timing and details of the operation.

Authorities say he misused this classified information for personal financial gain. He created an account on the prediction betting platform Polymarket around December 26, 2025. Prediction markets are platforms where people bet money on real-life events and outcomes. Between December 27, 2025 and January 2, 2026, he placed around 13 bets on events related to Venezuela. He spent about $33,000 (around ₹27 lakh) on these bets, as per the reports.

What Van Dyke is accused of doing

All his bets were predicting that Maduro would lose power and US forces would take action in Venezuela. These bets were placed before the public or media knew anything about the operation. In the early hours of January 3, the US military successfully completed the operation and captured Maduro.

Soon after, the operation was officially announced publicly. Once the news became public, the prediction market bets were settled. Because his predictions were correct, Van Dyke earned more than $400,000 (around ₹3+ crore), as cited by Times Now.

How he made money using secret info

Authorities say he used inside knowledge to guarantee his winnings. After receiving the money, he moved most of it into a foreign cryptocurrency vault. He later transferred the funds into a newly created online brokerage account. Reports of unusual betting activity on Polymarket started coming out after the operation. When suspicion increased, Van Dyke allegedly tried to hide his actions.

On January 6, he asked Polymarket to delete his account. He falsely claimed that he had lost access to his email to justify account deletion. On the same day, he changed the email linked to his crypto account to another ID not connected to his name. Investigators say these actions were attempts to cover his tracks.

Charges and punishment he may face

US authorities later identified him and linked him to the suspicious betting activity. He was arrested and charged by federal authorities. He is accused of fraud and misuse of classified government information. He also faces multiple charges under the Commodity Exchange Act. Each of these major charges can carry up to 20 years in prison, as noted by Hindustan Times. He is also charged with unlawful monetary transactions, which can add up to 10 years in prison.

Officials said soldiers are trusted with sensitive information only for national security purposes.They clearly stated that such information cannot be used for personal profit. Authorities also said that prediction markets are becoming popular but can be misused if someone has insider information, as noted by Times Now. The case has raised serious concerns about security risks and misuse of classified data. If found guilty, Van Dyke could face decades in prison, but the final decision will be made by a judge.

FAQs

Q1. Who is Gannon Ken Van Dyke?
He is a US Army Special Forces soldier accused of using secret mission information for betting profits.

Q2. Why was Gannon Van Dyke arrested?
He was arrested for allegedly using classified military information to make illegal money on Polymarket.