Gannon Ken Van Dyke: Five things to know about the US soldier involved in Maduro’s operation who was arrested for betting on deportation
Gannon Ken Van Dyke has been identified as the US Special Forces soldier who created comprehensive market bet delete Venezuela president Nicolás Madurowhile participating in the operation to capture him and his wife.
At the direction of President Donald Trump, the military captured Maduro and his wife on January 3, 2026, and flew them back to the United States to face prosecution. Federal authorities said in a statement that Van Dyke was arrested and charged for betting a total of approximately $33,034 on Maduro operations. Press release. The soldier ended up earning more than $409,000 after the surgery.
Authorities noted that Van Dyke “participated in the planning and execution of the U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro.” “These charges stem from an alleged scheme in which Van Dyke used sensitive confidential information to place bets on Polymarket,” the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York said.
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Here’s everything you need to know about Gannon Ken Van Dyke, the US Special Forces soldier who was arrested for betting on Polymarket.
Gannon Ken Van Dyke: 5 Things You Need to Know
- Van Dyke, 38, of Fayetteville, North Carolina.
- He was an active duty soldier in the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Bragg, a military base in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
- Van Dyke allegedly created his Polymarket account on or about December 26, 2025. He then funded it and began trading on Maduro and Venezuela-related markets.
- According to reports, the soldier made approximately 13 bets from December 27, 2025, to the evening of January 2, 2026. The Justice Department noted that all of these bets took a “yes” stance on “U.S. troops in Venezuela…by January 31, 2026”; “Maduro will step down from power on January 31, 2026”; “Will the United States invade Venezuela by…January 31?”; or “Trump uses war powers against Venezuela…by January 31.”
- Van Dyke was charged with three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and one count of wire fraud. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He was also charged with one count of illegal currency transactions, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
How did Van Dijk make his bet?
Van Dyke allegedly deposited the majority of his proceeds into foreign cryptocurrency vaults and then into newly created online brokerage accounts. On the day of the Maduro operation, Van Dijk withdrew the majority of his alleged illicit proceeds from his Polymarket account.
When reports of unusual trading at Polymarket emerged when the Maduro operation was announced, Van Dyke took steps to conceal his identity, according to the Justice Department.
On or about January 6, Van Dyke asked Polymarket to delete his account, falsely stating that he did not have access to the email address associated with the account. That same day, he changed the email he used to register his cryptocurrency trading account to use an ID that was not subscribed in his name. He created the same content around December 14, 2025.
Acting Attorney General Todd Branch commented on the matter, saying, “Our service members are trusted with classified information in order to accomplish their missions as safely and efficiently as possible and are prohibited from using this highly sensitive information for personal financial gain. Broad access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply.”
