A U.S. soldier involved in the January capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been arrested and charged with using classified information to win more than $400,000 on prediction-market bets, the Department of Justice said Thursday.
Prosecutors said Gannon Ken Van Dyke, who helped plan the operation beginning in December, placed 13 bets on the prediction market Polymarket related to U.S. military action in Venezuela and Maduro’s removal from office. Van Dyke is now facing charges for commodities fraud, wire fraud, and the unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain.
“Our 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,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote in a statement on the arrest.
President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday evening that he felt Van Dyke’s actions were “like Pete Rose betting on his own team” and he would look into the case.
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