US Soldier Charged With Using Classified Intel to Win $400K on Polymarket

Investigators allege a soldier positioned strategic bets on Venezuela occasions utilizing nonpublic intel.

A US Military soldier has been charged with utilizing labeled authorities info to revenue from prediction market bets, based on an indictment unsealed by the US Legal professional’s Workplace for the Southern District of New York.

Authorities stated Gannon Ken Van Dyke faces a number of prices, together with illegal use of confidential authorities info for private achieve, theft of nonpublic authorities info, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and fascinating in an illegal financial transaction.

Contained in the $400K Guess

Prosecutors allege that Van Dyke used delicate labeled info obtained by way of his function in a US army operation referred to as “Operation Absolute Resolve” to position bets on the prediction market Polymarket. The operation concerned the seize of Nicolás Maduro, and Van Dyke was a part of the planning and execution course of, which gave him entry to nonpublic particulars in regards to the mission.

Regardless of having signed nondisclosure agreements as a part of his army duties, which explicitly prohibited him from sharing or utilizing labeled info, Van Dyke allegedly used that information for private monetary achieve.

In accordance with the indictment, between late December 2025 and early January 2026, Van Dyke created and funded a Polymarket account and positioned roughly 13 bets tied to outcomes associated to Venezuela and Maduro. These included contracts predicting whether or not US forces could be current in Venezuela by January 31, 2026, whether or not Maduro could be faraway from energy by that date, whether or not america would invade Venezuela, and whether or not US President Donald Trump would invoke warfare powers towards the nation.

All of Van Dyke’s positions reportedly backed the “YES” end result on these occasions, and he wagered roughly $33,034 whereas in possession of labeled details about the operation. US particular forces apprehended Maduro and his spouse in Caracas in the course of the early hours of January 3, 2026, and Trump introduced the profitable operation later that day. Polymarket then settled a number of associated contracts in Van Dyke’s favor, which resulted in massive winnings. Prosecutors allege his whole earnings reached roughly $409,881.

Van Dyke allegedly moved a lot of the funds to a overseas cryptocurrency vault and later transferred them right into a newly created on-line brokerage account. He additionally withdrew a good portion of his proceeds from Polymarket on the identical day because the operation.

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As scrutiny round uncommon buying and selling exercise in Maduro-related contracts started to circulate in media reviews and on social platforms, Van Dyke allegedly took steps to cover his involvement. These actions included requesting the deletion of his Polymarket account underneath false pretenses and altering the e-mail related together with his cryptocurrency trade account to 1 not registered in his title.

Van Dyke is scheduled to look earlier than a US Justice of the Peace choose within the Japanese District of North Carolina. In an announcement, FBI Director Kash Patel stated,

“At the moment’s announcement makes clear nobody is above the legislation, and this FBI will do no matter it takes to defend the homeland and safeguard our nation’s secrets and techniques. Any clearance holders considering of cashing of their entry and information for private achieve might be held accountable.”

Kalshi’s Election Betting Probe

In a separate case, Kalshi just lately suspended three US political candidates after discovering out they traded on the outcomes of elections wherein they have been straight concerned. The platform recognized Matt Klein, Ezekiel Enriquez, and Mark Moran as members. Klein and Enriquez every positioned trades value lower than $100 on their very own races, cooperated with the investigation, and accepted fines and five-year bans.

Moran, nevertheless, made a number of trades tied to his marketing campaign, together with earlier than formally asserting his candidacy, and later stopped participating with investigators. He was issued a bigger penalty, ordered to return any earnings, and in addition banned for 5 years.