US Special Forces Soldier Pleads Not Guilty to Betting on Maduro’s Capture

Gannon Ken Van Dyke could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Gannon Ken Van Dyke (R) walks with his attorneys toward a federal court building in New York City on April 28, 2026. Seth Wenig/AP

A U.S. special forces soldier involved in a military operation to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty on April 28 to using classified information about the secret plan to win more than $400,000 on prediction market Polymarket.

Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, entered the plea in Manhattan federal court after he was charged with the 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 was released on $250,000 bail, and his travel was restricted to portions of New York, North Carolina, California, and points necessary for travel between them.

Prosecutors said evidence in the case will include information resulting from grand jury subpoenas, cryptocurrency exchange records, search warrants, and social media accounts. They said Van Dyke, who is stationed at Fort Bragg near Fayetteville, North Carolina, had signed nondisclosure agreements before taking part in the planning and execution of Maduro’s capture, but placed a series of bets on Maduro being out of power by Jan. 31.

Maduro—who had been the leader of Venezuela since 2013 when his predecessor and close ally, Hugo Chavez, died of cancer—was captured by U.S. special forces in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, on Jan. 3, and brought to New York City, where he now faces an indictment on narcotics trafficking charges. Maduro has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The military mission was a closely guarded secret.

Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan has said the company flagged the suspicious activity and turned information over to the government.

According to the indictment, Van Dyke bought about $33,934 worth of shares and profited about $409,881.

Captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, prior to his first court appearance in New York City, on Jan. 5, 2026. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

In an April 23 statement, the Department of Justice said, “As alleged in the indictment, Van Dyke participated in the planning and execution of the U.S. 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.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in the same statement that widespread access to prediction markets was a relatively new phenomenon, but he pointed out federal laws protecting national security information “fully apply.”

“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,” Blanche said.

Zach Intrater, an attorney representing Van Dyke, told Judge Margaret M. Garnett that there are unlikely to be many disputes about “the actual event,” but he said the case would depend on motions he would make on behalf of his client.

The Epoch Times reached out to Intrater for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

The judge ordered Van Dyke to return to court for a pretrial conference on June 8.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.