Federal prosecutors have charged a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier with using classified information to win approximately $400,000 in online bets on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, was part of the military operation that captured Maduro in January. Prosecutors allege he used his access to classified information about the mission to place bets on the prediction market platform Polymarket before news of the operation became public.

According to the indictment, Van Dyke joined the Army in 2008 and was promoted to Master Sergeant in 2023, making him the second-highest enlisted rank. He allegedly placed bets totaling $32,000 on Polymarket that Maduro would be removed from power by January, which netted him $409,000 in profits after the operation's success.

The charges against Van Dyke include unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction. Prosecutors also allege he took steps to conceal his identity and winnings by placing the proceeds into foreign cryptocurrency accounts.

The case represents a rare intersection of military operations, prediction markets, and insider trading laws. Van Dyke's alleged involvement in both the planning and execution of the Maduro capture operation while simultaneously betting on its outcome has drawn federal scrutiny over the misuse of classified information for financial gain.

The Pentagon has referred questions about the case to the Army and Department of Justice, while U.S. Special Operations Command has not immediately responded to requests for comment.