U.S. ARMY SOLDIER CHARGED IN CLASSIFIED INFORMATION SCHEME LINKED TO PREDICTION MARKET PROFITS EXCEEDING $400,000: FEDERAL INDICTMENT DETAILS TIMING-BASED TRADING DURING ACTIVE MILITARY OPERATION

A federal indictment has been unsealed charging Gannon Ken Van Dyke, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, with multiple offenses tied to the alleged use of classified military information to generate personal financial gain through prediction market trading. The case outlines a sequence of events in which nonpublic operational intelligence was used to place outcome-based wagers tied to a U.S. military mission involving Venezuela.

According to federal prosecutors, Van Dyke is charged with unlawful use of confidential government information, theft of nonpublic information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions. The charges stem from activity conducted between December 2025 and January 2026 while Van Dyke was stationed at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

The indictment alleges that Van Dyke had direct involvement in the planning and execution of a U.S. military operation referred to as Operation Absolute Resolve, which targeted Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. Through this role, he gained access to sensitive classified information, including operational timing and expected outcomes. Federal filings state that this information was subsequently used to inform trading decisions on Polymarket, a platform offering binary outcome contracts tied to geopolitical and military events.

Beginning on or about December 26, 2025, Van Dyke allegedly created and funded a Polymarket account, initiating a series of trades focused on Venezuela-related outcomes. Over a one-month period, he placed approximately 13 wagers totaling roughly $33,034, all aligned with outcomes indicating U.S. military involvement in Venezuela and the removal of Maduro from power by January 31, 2026.

The indictment details that in the early hours of January 3, 2026, U.S. forces apprehended Maduro and his spouse at a residence in Caracas. A public announcement confirming the operation followed later that day. As a result of that announcement, multiple prediction contracts were resolved in favor of the outcomes Van Dyke had selected, generating an alleged profit of approximately $409,881.

Following the resolution of those trades, investigators allege that Van Dyke transferred the majority of his proceeds to a foreign cryptocurrency vault and later moved funds into a newly created online brokerage account. Records indicate that he withdrew most of the funds from the prediction platform on the same day the operation became public.

The indictment further outlines steps taken to conceal involvement in the trading activity. On or about January 6, 2026, Van Dyke requested deletion of his Polymarket account, citing loss of access to the associated email account. On the same day, he altered the email linked to his cryptocurrency exchange account, replacing it with a newly created address not associated with his identity.

The case highlights the intersection of classified information access and emerging financial platforms that allow event-based trading tied to real-world developments. Federal prosecutors have identified the alleged conduct as a violation of laws governing both national security information and financial market integrity.

Van Dyke, 38, faces three counts under the Commodity Exchange Act, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years, along with one count of wire fraud carrying up to 20 years and one count of unlawful monetary transaction carrying up to 10 years. He is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian S. Meyers in the Eastern District of North Carolina. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett in the Southern District of New York.

The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas W. Chiuchiolo, Ryan B. Finkel, and Juliana N. Murray, with support from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

The case reflects federal enforcement priorities surrounding the protection of classified information and the prevention of its use in financial markets, particularly as prediction-based trading platforms expand access to event-driven speculation tied to sensitive geopolitical developments.

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