U.S. Army Soldier Arrested For Betting On Operation To Capture Maduro

Gannon Van Dyke is accused of betting on the operation, wagering more than $33,000 on Polymarket.

A U.S. Army soldier involved in the daring operation and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been arrested.

38-year-old Gannon Van Dyke is accused of betting on the operation, wagering more than $33,000 on Polymarket. That’s an online prediction market where betters can wage money on everything from sports matches and economic indicators to political outcomes.

The bets netted Van Dyke nearly $410,000. In total, he made 13 bets from Dec. 27, 2025, through the evening of Jan. 2, just hours before the operation to capture Maduro commenced.

Van Dyke was charged with three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, one count of wire fraud and one county of an unlawful monetary transaction. He also faces insider trading charges by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.