U.S. Special Forces Soldier Criminally Charged for Profiting Over NT$10 Million Using Classified Information for Betting
A U.S. Army soldier involved in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has been criminally charged for allegedly profiting over US$400,000 (approximately NT$12.62 million) by betting on Maduro's overthrow on a prediction market platform using classified information.
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- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 10:11
- 🔍 Collected: April 24, 2026 at 10:31 (20 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 25, 2026 at 02:38 (16h 6m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Washington, 23rd, comprehensive foreign report) The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that a U.S. Army soldier involved in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has been criminally charged for allegedly profiting US$400,000 (approximately NT$12.62 million) by betting on Maduro's overthrow on a prediction market platform.
Reuters reported that weeks before Maduro's arrest on January 3rd, U.S. Army Special Forces Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke used classified and sensitive information to place bets on the prediction market platform Polymarket, wagering that the U.S. military would enter Venezuela and Maduro would lose power.
A grand jury in the U.S. Federal Court in Manhattan indicted the 38-year-old Van Dyke on charges including illegal use of classified government information for profit, theft of non-public government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and illegal monetary transactions.
Acting U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche said: "Military personnel are entrusted with classified information for the safe and effective completion of their missions, and are absolutely not allowed to use such highly sensitive information for personal financial gain."
The U.S. Department of Justice stated that he is expected to appear in court in North Carolina today.
When asked about the case, U.S. President Trump said he was unaware but compared it to Pete Rose, who was banned from Major League Baseball (MLB) due to a gambling scandal.
He said: "It's like Rose betting on his own team. If he bet against the opposing team, it wouldn't be allowed, but he bet on his own team. I'll look into it further."
Polymarket posted on social media platform X that it had reported the matter to the Department of Justice, emphasizing that "Polymarket absolutely does not tolerate insider trading, and today's arrest proves the system is working."
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) also filed civil charges against Van Dyke.
According to the indictment, Van Dyke has served in the U.S. Army since 2008 and was most recently stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Prosecutors stated that Van Dyke was involved in the "planning and execution" of the operation to capture Maduro, but did not disclose further details.
The indictment mentioned that in the early morning of January 3rd, hours after the U.S. military transported Maduro to the amphibious assault ship 'USS Iwo Jima', Van Dyke uploaded a photo to his Google account. (Compiled by: Hsu Rui-cheng) 1150424
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(Central News Agency, Washington, 23rd, comprehensive foreign report) The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that a U.S. Army soldier involved in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has been criminally charged for allegedly profiting US$400,000 (approximately NT$12.62 million) by betting on Maduro's overthrow on a prediction market platform.
Reuters reported that weeks before Maduro's arrest on January 3rd, U.S. Army Special Forces Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke used classified and sensitive information to place bets on the prediction market platform Polymarket, wagering that the U.S. military would enter Venezuela and Maduro would lose power.
A grand jury in the U.S. Federal Court in Manhattan indicted the 38-year-old Van Dyke on charges including illegal use of classified government information for profit, theft of non-public government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and illegal monetary transactions.
Acting U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche said: "Military personnel are entrusted with classified information for the safe and effective completion of their missions, and are absolutely not allowed to use such highly sensitive information for personal financial gain."
The U.S. Department of Justice stated that he is expected to appear in court in North Carolina today.
When asked about the case, U.S. President Trump said he was unaware but compared it to Pete Rose, who was banned from Major League Baseball (MLB) due to a gambling scandal.
He said: "It's like Rose betting on his own team. If he bet against the opposing team, it wouldn't be allowed, but he bet on his own team. I'll look into it further."
Polymarket posted on social media platform X that it had reported the matter to the Department of Justice, emphasizing that "Polymarket absolutely does not tolerate insider trading, and today's arrest proves the system is working."
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) also filed civil charges against Van Dyke.
According to the indictment, Van Dyke has served in the U.S. Army since 2008 and was most recently stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Prosecutors stated that Van Dyke was involved in the "planning and execution" of the operation to capture Maduro, but did not disclose further details.
The indictment mentioned that in the early morning of January 3rd, hours after the U.S. military transported Maduro to the amphibious assault ship 'USS Iwo Jima', Van Dyke uploaded a photo to his Google account. (Compiled by: Hsu Rui-cheng) 1150424
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency 'First-hand News' APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio-visual content of this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.