The U.S. Department of Justice has charged active-duty service member Gannon Ken Van Dyke, suspected of using confidential information to place bets on the prediction platform Polymarket.

PRESS RELEASE | DOJ State Prosecutors, AMLC Legal Officers secure conviction for violation of AMLA Record-Keeping requirements

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— Department of Justice (DOJ) (@dojphofficial) April 23, 2026

According to investigators, Van Dyke was involved in the planning and execution of Operation "Absolute Resolve" aimed at capturing former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. With access to classified information regarding the mission's timeline and details, he allegedly exploited this for profit.

Evidence suggests the suspect placed around $33,000 in bets on related events and earned over $400,000 in profit. After winning, he reportedly attempted to cover his tracks through an offshore crypto wallet and brokerage account.

The charges against him include:

  • Illegal use of confidential government information;
  • Theft of non-public data;
  • Fraud in commodity markets and using electronic communications;
  • Illegal financial transactions.

Acting U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche stated that access to classified information cannot be used for personal gain. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton described the defendant's actions as "obvious insider trading."

"Our office will continue to hold accountable those who abuse confidential or classified information in ways that undermine and exploit our national security," he emphasized.

Polymarket stated that they reported the suspicious user to authorities, having previously tightened their rules against insider trading.

Last month, we published our enhanced market integrity rules to combat insider trading.

When we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ & cooperated with their investigation.

Insider trading has no place on Polymarket.…

— Polymarket (@Polymarket) April 23, 2026

Van Dyke, 38, faces up to 10 years in prison for four of the five charges. The maximum penalty for fraud involving electronic communications is 20 years in prison.

It is worth noting that in April, two accounts on Polymarket were suspected of manipulation after earning $37,000 from accurate bets on anomalous temperature readings at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.