U.S. special forces soldier arrested after allegedly winning $400,000 on Maduro raid

Captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport in New York City, US, on January 5. (Credit: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters via CNN Newsource)

A U.S. special forces soldier involved in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was arrested and charged for allegedly betting on that operation, netting him US$400,000 in profits.

The outsized trade involved with Operation Absolute Resolve caught the attention of law enforcement almost immediately.

According to an indictment unsealed Thursday, Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke opened an account in late December on Polymarket, one of the best-known prediction markets. He wagered about US$32,000 that Maduro would be “out” by January. The bet was a long-shot.

Van Dyke is facing five criminal charges and will make his first court appearance in North Carolina. Van Dyke is an active duty solider stationed at Fort Bragg. No attorney has been listed for him on the court docket.

He allegedly made 13 bets from December 27 to January 2, hours before the overnight capture. Prosecutors said Van Dyke sent his more than $400,000 in profits to a foreign cryptocurrency vault before he deposited them in an online brokerage account.

“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.

CNN reported last month that federal prosecutors were investigating the Maduro trade, according to a person familiar with the matter. The chiefs of the securities and commodity fraud unit at the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan met with representatives at Polymarket last month.

After the bets were placed, the US military launched a covert operation that extradited Maduro from the presidential palace in Caracas in an overnight capture while coming under heavy fire. Maduro was transported to New York to face federal drug-trafficking related charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

ABC News first reported Thursday’s arrest.