US soldier accused of using classified info to win $400K on Maduro raid unmasked as he gets bail
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: The face of an American soldier who allegedly won over $400,000 trading on Polymarket by using classified information about the mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores has been revealed as he was granted bail on an unsecured bond of $250,000 on Friday, April 24.
Gannon Ken Van Dyke, who’s posted at Fort Bragg near Fayetteville, North Carolina, was ordered by a magistrate in North Carolina to report to a New York federal courthouse by April 28 for the continuation of his case.
A U.S. soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, who was charged with making about $400,000 by using insider information to bet on the removal of Nicolás Maduro, has been released on $250,000 bond. pic.twitter.com/0ydSt3li0k
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 24, 2026
Gannon Ken Van Dyke faces multiple charges and could end up in jail for decades
The soldier whose one arm was full of tattoos did not reportedly say much during the hearing. A federal public defender has been appointed to him as he will appear before District Judge Margaret M. Garnett in the Southern District of New York next week.
Dyke was 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 on Thursday after he allegedly used secret intel for betting on Polymarket.
Dyke could face up to a decade in jail on four of the criminal charges and up to 20 years on a fifth count.
Kash Patel says 'no one is above the law' after charging Gannon Ken Van Dyke
A statement by the Office of Public Affairs read that the accused “participated in the planning and execution of the US military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, called ‘Operation Absolute Resolve,’ and Van Dyke used his access to classified information about that operation to personally profit.”
FBI director Kash Patel also shared a statement, saying, “Today’s announcement makes clear no one is above the law, and this FBI will do whatever it takes to defend the homeland and safeguard our nation’s secrets.”
“Any clearance holders thinking of cashing in their access and knowledge for personal gain will be held accountable,” he added.
Gannon Ken Van Dyke faces another complaint filed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Apart from these charges, a separate complaint has been filed against Dyke by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency that regulates prediction markets.
On April 23, the organization announced that in the complaint it’s seeking “restitution, disgorgement, civil monetary penalties, trading and registration bans, and a permanent injunction against further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations, as charged.”
Chairman Michael S Selig declared that “anyone who engages in fraud, manipulation, or insider trading in any of our markets will face the full force of the law.” He also slammed Dyke for betrayal and putting “the lives of American service members in harm’s way.”
