{"id":1904715,"date":"2026-04-23T23:32:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T20:32:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1904715"},"modified":"2026-04-23T23:32:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T20:32:33","slug":"authorities-arrest-special-forces-soldier-who-allegedly-made-400k-on-polymarket-bet-involving-maduro-operation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1904715","title":{"rendered":"Authorities arrest special forces soldier who allegedly made $400K on Polymarket bet involving Maduro operation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2254192130.jpg?resize=1200,800&#8243;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content wp-block-post-content is-layout-constrained wp-block-post-content-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p id=\"speakable-summary\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A special forces soldier involved in the operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro has been indicted by the U.S. Justice Department. His alleged crime? Making numerous bets on the prediction market Polymarket that Maduro would be removed from power, for which he is said to have made upwards of $400,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Authorities claim Gannon Ken Van Dyke,\u00a0who was involved in the \u201cplanning and execution\u201d of Operation Absolute Resolve (the stratagem that toppled and captured the Venezuelan leader), made bets on Polymarket about whether the U.S. would deploy forces into Venezuela and remove Maduro from power. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Van Dyke was arrested on Thursday, CBS reports, citing a law enforcement source.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Federal officials say that Van Dyke\u2019s wagers were informed by classified information he had access to as a result of being a government insider. The government notes that Van Dyke signed nondisclosure agreements prohibiting him from ever divulging, publishing, or revealing \u201cby writing, words, conduct, or otherwise . . . any classified or sensitive information\u201d related to the military operations he was involved with.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In December, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and began making wagers involving \u201cMaduro- and Venezuela-related markets,\u201d officials say. Between December 27, 2025 and January 26 of this year, he allegedly made 13 bets totaling some $33,034 in total on things like \u201cU.S. Forces in Venezuela . . . by January 31, 2026\u201d and \u201cMaduro out by . . . January 31, 2026.\u201d Officials say that, after collecting his winnings, Van Dyke also took steps to cover up his ties to the account that made the wagers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Van Dyke faces a variety of charges, including violating the Commodity Exchange Act, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur men and women in uniform are trusted with classified information in order to accomplish their mission as safely and effectively as possible, and are prohibited from using this highly sensitive information for personal financial gain,\u201d said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. \u201cWidespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-techcrunch-inline-cta\">\n<div class=\"inline-cta__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-cta__flag\">Techcrunch event<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-cta__content\">\n<div class=\"inline-cta__header-container\">\n<div class=\"inline-cta__header-container-desktop\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-cta__header has-h-5-font-size\">Meet your next investor or portfolio startup at Disrupt<\/h3>\n<h4 class=\"inline-cta__subheader\">Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $410.<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-cta__header-container-mobile\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-cta__header has-h-5-font-size\">Meet your next investor or portfolio startup at Disrupt<\/h3>\n<h4 class=\"inline-cta__subheader\">Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $410.<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-cta__event-info\"><span class=\"inline-cta__location\">San Francisco, CA<\/span><span class=\"inline-cta__separator\">|<\/span><span class=\"inline-cta__date\">October 13-15, 2026<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-cta__register-button\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\">REGISTER NOW<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prediction markets have inspired controversy ever since their launch. But over the past year, the sites have grown in prominence and influence, striking deals with media outlets and sports organizations while also seeing widespread use, including by public officials. Legislation is currently being mulled that would ban public officials from using nonpublic information to make bets on prediction sites.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/04\/23\/authorities-arrest-special-forces-soldier-who-allegedly-made-400k-on-polymarket-bet-involving-maduro-operation\/&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2254192130.jpg?resize=1200,800&#8243;] A special forces soldier involved in the operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro has been indicted by the U.S. Justice Department. His alleged crime? Making numerous bets on the prediction market Polymarket that Maduro would be removed from power, for which he is said to have made upwards of $400,000. Authorities [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,62],"class_list":["post-1904715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-techcrunch-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1904715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1904715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1904715\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1904715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1904715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1904715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}