US Soldier Charged After Earning Rp6.8 Billion from Insider Trading
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — US prosecutors have charged a soldier involved in the plan to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro with alleged insider trading to gain profits in the market. The soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, is said to have earned more than US$400,000 or approximately Rp6.89 billion.
According to the Financial Times on Tuesday (28/4/2026), in a federal indictment unsealed on Thursday, Van Dyke is alleged to have used secret information to place bets on the blockchain-based prediction platform, Polymarket. He is said to have exploited sensitive information related to the military operation for personal financial gain.
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasised that military personnel are trusted to handle secret information to carry out missions safely and effectively. He stressed that using such information for personal gain is a serious violation.
Blanche also noted that broad access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon. Nevertheless, federal laws regarding the protection of national security information fully apply in that context.
Van Dyke, an active soldier at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is alleged to have placed around 13 bets totalling US$33,034 between December and January. Those bets included positions such as “US Forces in Venezuela” and “Maduro out” before 31 January.
After earning approximately US$409,881 in profits, Van Dyke is said to have transferred most of the funds to an overseas crypto vault. The funds were then moved to a new online brokerage account.
According to the indictment, Van Dyke also attempted to conceal his identity on the prediction market. This was done after reports emerged of unusual trading activity related to Maduro contracts on Polymarket.
Van Dyke has been charged with three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, one count of wire fraud, and one count of illegal monetary transaction. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of between 10 and 20 years in prison.
The case was initially heard in a federal court in North Carolina before being transferred to a federal court in Manhattan. Southern District of New York prosecutor Jay Clayton affirmed that prediction markets are not a place to exploit secret information for personal gain.
Polymarket stated that it had identified users trading with secret government information. The platform then reported the case to the Department of Justice and cooperated in the investigation.
Van Dyke could not be reached for comment, and there is no information regarding his legal counsel. The Pentagon directed questions to the US Army, which has also not provided a response.
For information, the United States launched an attack in Venezuela in January and successfully captured Nicolás Maduro along with his wife. The two were flown to the US and charged with several counts, including conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism, and have pleaded not guilty.