A US special forces soldier has been arrested and charged with using classified military information to place bets on the capture of Nicolás Maduro, earning more than $400,000 in profits, federal prosecutors said.
Alleged use of insider knowledge to place bets
Authorities unsealed the indictment on Thursday. It alleges that Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke used inside knowledge of a secret U.S. military operation to place high-risk wagers on a prediction market platform.
He reportedly created an account in late December and bet tens of thousands of dollars on whether Maduro would be removed from power by January. At the time, the outcome was widely seen as unlikely.
Prosecutors said Van Dyke was directly involved in planning and carrying out the military mission referenced in the case. His role gave him access to sensitive, nonpublic information about the timing and outcome of the operation. Using that knowledge, he placed a series of bets before details became public.
Profits and investigation timeline
Officials said those wagers turned roughly $30,000 into more than $400,000 in winnings. Investigators later flagged the activity after identifying unusual betting patterns that closely matched the timeline of the classified operation.
Authorities allege that Van Dyke attempted to conceal the source of his profits. He reportedly transferred the funds to a foreign cryptocurrency account before moving them into an online brokerage account. Investigators said the financial trail helped identify him and raised further concerns about deliberate misuse of classified information.
Charges and court proceedings
Van Dyke is facing multiple criminal charges, including wire fraud, commodities fraud, theft of government information, and unlawful use of classified data for personal gain. He is expected to make his first court appearance in North Carolina, where the case will proceed in federal court.
Prosecutors said he placed 13 bets between December 27 and January 2. The final wager came just hours before the overnight operation, according to court documents.
Officials warn over misuse of classified data
Federal officials stressed the seriousness of the case. “Those entrusted to safeguard our nation’s secrets have a duty to protect them and our armed service members, and not to use that information for personal financial gain,” said Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Court records also include a photograph taken shortly after the operation. Investigators said it appears to show Van Dyke on the deck of a ship at sunrise, wearing U.S. military fatigues and carrying a rifle alongside three other individuals.
Regulatory action and broader concerns
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has filed a related civil complaint seeking financial penalties and restitution. Officials said the case highlights growing concerns about the misuse of sensitive information on emerging prediction market platforms.
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