WASHINGTON, April 23 – The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday said it had charged a U.S. Army soldier who allegedly made $400,000 by betting on the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The soldier, who is identified as Gannon Ken Van Dyke, took part in the planning and execution of the January operation that resulted in the capture of Maduro.
He now faces charges of unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction.
The Justice Department alleges that Van Dyke used sensitive classified information to make wagers on Polymarket.
“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,” Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. REUTERS