The US Department of Justice announced fraud and related charges against Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a 38-year-old soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Prosecutors allege Van Dyke leveraged classified information about the US military intervention in Venezuela to place bets on the prediction market platform Polymarket, netting more than $400,000.
The US military launched strikes on Caracas on January 3, arresting deposed leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores and transporting them to New York to face drug trafficking charges. According to the indictment, Van Dyke — who had access to confidential operational planning — allegedly placed wagers on Maduro’s removal before the information became public. The case raises uncomfortable questions about insider trading in an era when prediction markets have gone mainstream.
