A U.S. special forces soldier involved in the military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been charged with using classified information about the mission to win more than $400,000 in an online betting market, federal officials announced Thursday.

Gannon Ken Van Dyke was part of the operation to capture Maduro in January and used his access to classified information to make money on the prediction market site Polymarket, the federal prosecutor’s office in New York said.

He has been charged with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction. He could face years in prison.

Van Dyke, 38, was involved in the planning and execution of capturing Maduro for about a month beginning Dec. 8, 2025, according to the federal prosecutor’s office. He signed nondisclosure agreements promising to not divulge “any classified or sensitive information” related to the operations, the office said.

Officials allege that Van Dyke created a Polymarket account toward the end of December and made about 13 bets that took the “Yes” position on such wagers as U.S. Forces being in Venezuela and Maduro being out by Jan. 31, 2026.

“This involved a U.S. soldier who allegedly took advantage of his position to profit off of a righteous military operation,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post to social media.

Officials allege that shortly after the operation, Van Dyke put most of the funds he won in a foreign cryptocurrency vault and then into a new brokerage account. He also asked Polymarket to delete his account, saying he had lost access to his email associated with the account, according to the federal prosecutor’s office.

A telephone number listed for Van Dyke in public records was not in service. It is unclear if he has legal representation.

Polymarket said it had found someone trading on classified government information, alerted the U.S. Department of Justice and “cooperated with their investigation.”

“Insider trading has no place on Polymarket,” the company said in a statement on the social platform X.

Van Dyke joined the Army in 2008 and, in 2023, was promoted to the rank of Master Sergeant, the second-highest enlisted rank in the Army, according to the indictment.

Federal prosecutors confirmed that he was a senior enlisted soldier who was part of the special forces community and stationed at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina but their indictment offered little other details about his military service.

However, the document says that Van Dyke was photographed following the raid on the deck of a ship “wearing U.S. military fatigues, and carrying a rifle, standing alongside three other individuals wearing U.S. military fatigues.”

The Pentagon referred questions on the case to the Army and the Department of Justice.

Army officials declined to provide Van Dykes’ service record.

Typically, the military services are reticent to offer details about members of the special forces and take measures to keep their identities secret.

Polymarket said it had found someone trading on classified government information, alerted the U.S. Department of Justice and “cooperated with their investigation.”

“Insider trading has no place on Polymarket,” the company said in a statement on the social platform X.

Van Dyke joined the Army in 2008 and, in 2023, was promoted to the rank of Master Sergeant, the second-highest enlisted rank in the Army, according to the indictment.

Federal prosecutors confirmed that he was a senior enlisted soldier who was part of the special forces community and stationed at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina but their indictment offered little other details about his military service.

However, the document says that Van Dyke was photographed following the raid on the deck of a ship “wearing U.S. military fatigues, and carrying a rifle, standing alongside three other individuals wearing U.S. military fatigues.”

The Pentagon referred questions on the case to the Army and the Department of Justice.

Army officials declined to provide Van Dykes’ service record.

Typically, the military services are reticent to offer details about members of the special forces and take measures to keep their identities secret.

(AP)