The soldier, who is stationed at Fort Bragg, reportedly made 13 bets between December 27 and January 2, just hours before his capture during the night in Caracas.
A United States special forces soldier involved in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was arrested and accused of allegedly betting on that operation, obtaining around 400 thousand dollars (around 372 thousand euros) in profits.
The large-scale financial operation almost immediately caught the attention of the authorities.
According to the indictment made public this Thursday, Sergeant Major Gannon Ken Van Dyke opened an account at the end of December at Polymarket, one of the best-known prediction markets. He bet around US$32,000 (around 29,700 euros) that Maduro would be “out” by January. It was a high-risk bet.
Van Dyke faces five felony charges and is scheduled to make his first court appearance in North Carolina. The soldier is on active duty and stationed at Fort Bragg. So far, there is no lawyer associated with his name in the process.
According to the indictment, he placed 13 bets between December 27th and January 2nd, a few hours before his capture during the night. Prosecutors say Van Dyke transferred the more than $400,000 in profits to an overseas cryptocurrency wallet before depositing them into an online brokerage account.
“Those charged with protecting our nation’s secrets have a duty to safeguard them — as well as members of our military — and not use that information for personal financial gain,” said Jay Clayton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
CNN reported last month that federal prosecutors were investigating these Maduro-related bets, according to a source with knowledge of the process. Those responsible for the securities and commodities fraud unit of the Manhattan district attorney’s office met with Polymarket representatives that month.
After the bets were made, the US army launched a covert operation that extracted Maduro from the presidential palace in Caracas, in a nighttime action under intense fire. Maduro was transported to New York to face federal drug trafficking charges. He declared himself innocent.
The arrest was initially reported by ABC News.
