U.S. soldier accused of betting on Maduro operation pleads not guilty
A U.S. special forces soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, pleaded not guilty to federal charges for allegedly using classified information about the operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to place profitable bets on a prediction market. Van Dyke, accused of making over $409,000 in illicit gains from bets on Polymarket, was released on a $250,000 personal recognizance bond with travel restrictions. He participated in the planning and execution of the raid that led to Maduro's capture in January 2026, according to prosecutors. His next court date is scheduled for June.
- ▪Gannon Ken Van Dyke was charged with unlawful use of government information, theft of nonpublic information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and unlawful monetary transactions.
- ▪Prosecutors allege Van Dyke made around 13 bets totaling $33,034 on Polymarket from late December 2025 through January 26, 2026, earning more than $409,000.
- ▪Van Dyke took part in the U.S. military operation that captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife during a raid in Caracas on January 3, 2026.
- ▪After the raid, Van Dyke withdrew most of his winnings and attempted to delete his Polymarket account by falsely claiming he lost access to his email.
- ▪Polymarket's CEO stated the company flagged and cooperated with authorities on the suspicious activity, and Van Dyke was later denied an account on rival platform Kalshi due to failed verification.
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U.S. newsU.S. soldier accused of betting on Maduro operation pleads not guiltyThe special forces soldier, who participated in planning and the capture of Nicolás Maduro, was released on a $250,000 personal recognizance bond.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke arrives at federal court in New York on Tuesday. David Dee Delgado / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 28, 2026, 6:36 PM EDTBy Chloe Atkins and Adam ReissA U.S. special forces soldier accused of using classified information about the operation to remove Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro from office to make prediction market bets pleaded not guilty to federal charges Tuesday.
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