Fort Bragg soldier arrested after making $400K betting on Maduro's removal
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (WTVD) -- A soldier stationed at Fort Bragg is facing federal charges after prosecutors say he used top-secret military information to profit from online betting tied to events in Venezuela.
According to an indictment unsealed by the Justice Department, Gannon Ken Van Dyke was part of a highly classified team that planned and carried out an operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
Prosecutors allege Van Dyke then used that inside information to make more than $400,000 betting on the prediction market Polymarket.
Federal authorities say Van Dyke traded about $32,000 on bets tied to geopolitical outcomes he allegedly knew about in advance. Those markets included bets such as "U.S. Forces in Venezuela . . . by January 31, 2026," "Maduro out by ... Jan. 31, 2026"; "Will the U.S. invade Venezuela by ... Jan. 31," and "Trump invokes War Powers against Venezuela by ... Jan. 31."
The indictment alleges that Van Dyke made those trades while having direct knowledge of U.S. military plans and later attempted to move his winnings into cryptocurrency to conceal their origin.
In a statement released Thursday, FBI Director Kash Patel said, "Today's announcement makes clear no one is above the law, and this FBI will do whatever it takes to defend the homeland and safeguard our nation's secrets."
Air Force Col. Josh McConkey said the alleged actions raise serious ethical and security concerns, particularly for personnel entrusted with classified information.
"Yeah. When you have that level of security clearance, it is drilled into you every single day. You talk about operational security. Everything that you do, nothing leaves those walls. They can't take their cell phone in any of those buildings. They're all secured, electronically locked facilities, you know, these types of things, that information cannot get out there," McConkey said.
He added that the case sends the wrong message to service members at Fort Bragg and across the military who are expected to uphold strict standards of integrity.
"You know, men and women in uniform take that security clearance very, very serious. It's something that we train on and worry about all the time, that operational security, and just like they said in World War II, loose lips sink ships," he said.
The case comes as Polymarket and other betting platforms have already faced criticism over political candidates betting on their own elections, and after the White House ordered staffers to stop wagering on developments related to the war in Iran.
Polymarket told ABC News that it flagged Van Dyke's trades and cooperated with the Justice Department's investigation.
In a statement, the company said, "Insider trading has no place on Polymarket. Today's arrest is proof the system works."
Van Dyke is charged with three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, each carrying a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison, and one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years.
