US Army soldier Gannon Van Dyke pleads not guilty in court over insider bets on Nicolas Maduro removal
A US special forces soldier has pleaded not guilty to charges that he used classified information to gamble on the capture of Venezuela's former leader.
A US Army soldier charged with using insider information to bet on the removal of ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has pleaded not guilty to fraud charges.
Gannon Van Dyke, 38, entered the plea before US District Judge Margaret Garnett’s courtroom in Manhattan.
Van Dyke sported a shaved head and wore a black blazer, jeans and brown shoes as he arrived in the courtroom with his lawyers, Zach Intrater and Mark Geragos.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Last week, Van Dyke was arrested on a federal indictment charging him with placing $US33,000 ($A46,060) in bets on prediction market Polymarket between December 27, 2025, and January 2, 2026, that Maduro would soon be out of office and that US forces would soon enter Venezuela.
Markets at the time assigned low probabilities to those events, leading to a big payout - $US400,000 - for Van Dyke, prosecutors said.
The case marks the first time the US Justice Department has filed insider trading charges involving a prediction market.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission also filed civil charges against Van Dyke.
Van Dyke, a master sergeant with US Army Special Forces who is stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, was involved in the “planning and execution” of the January 3, 2026, raid that captured Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, prosecutors said.
He faces five criminal counts: unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of non-public government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud and making an unlawful monetary transaction.
Polymarket said it flagged Van Dyke’s trading to the authorities and cooperated with the investigation.
Rival prediction market Kalshi had previously blocked Van Dyke from opening an account due to the platform’s ID requirements, Reuters reported on Friday, citing a person familiar with the matter.
US Magistrate Judge Brian Meyers in Raleigh, North Carolina, ordered Van Dyke released on $US250,000 bond at his initial court appearance on Friday.
Garnett is expected to oversee Van Dyke’s case going forward.
