Soldier Charged After Using Classified Intel On Maduro Raid To Win $400,000 On Polymarket

A US special forces soldier, Ganon Ken Van Djk, has been charged with unlawfully using classified information from an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to win over $400,000 on the online betting platform Polyarket. The Justice Department alleges Van Djk created a Poly Market account on December 26, 2025, and placed around 13 bets totaling $33,034 on "yes" outcomes for questions about US military action or invasion targeting Venezuela before January 31, 2026. Following the successful raid on Caracas and capture of Maduro and his wife, Van Djk allegedly profited approximately $49,881. He then reportedly transferred his winnings to a foreign cryptocurrency vault before depositing them into an online brokerage account. Poly Market stated on X that they referred the matter to the DOJ and cooperated with their investigation after identifying a user trading on classified government information.