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Special Forces Soldier Pleads Not Guilty in Polymarket Insider Case Over Maduro Operation

The prosecution tests how fraud and commodity laws apply to event-betting platforms that let users wager on real-world outcomes.

Overview

  • Army Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Manhattan to five federal counts tied to alleged misuse of classified information.
  • Prosecutors say he helped plan the Jan. 3 mission to capture Nicolás Maduro and wagered about $33,000 on Polymarket, turning it into roughly $410,000.
  • The indictment says he moved the winnings through a foreign cryptocurrency account and an online brokerage and later asked Polymarket to delete his account.
  • He was released on a $250,000 bond with passport and firearm surrender and limited travel, and he is due back in court in June as prosecutors share electronic records.
  • Polymarket reported the trading to the government, and the CFTC filed a civil case alongside the DOJ in a matter that could shape oversight of prediction markets.