Fort Bragg soldier’s case continues Tuesday in New York
An enlisted soldier at Fort Bragg was granted $250,000 bond release on Friday and will have his charges of using classified information to win $400,000 in a prediction market continued Tuesday in New York.
Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, member of the Special Forces team helping capture Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, is charged with 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 38-year-old, if convicted, stands to lose any potential retirement pay and spend years in prison.
Van Dyke appeared Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian S. Meyers in the Eastern District of North Carolina in Raleigh.
On social media, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote, “This involved a U.S. soldier who allegedly took advantage of his position to profit off of a righteous military operation.”
Prosecutors say as part of the operation to capture Maduro, he signed a nondisclosure agreement specific to not releasing classified or sensitive information. He used what he knew to make bets on Polymarket that Maduro would be out of power by Jan. 31.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the entity overseeing Polymarket and other prediction markets, on Thursday filed a complaint against Van Dyke. The commission says he moved $35,000 from his personal bank account to cryptocurrency exchange on Dec. 26.
The commission says between Dec. 30 and Jan. 2, he bet $32,500 in a series of bets. Most were made Jan. 2. He made $404,000 on Maduro bets, and another $5,000 on other bets involving Venezuela, said the commission complaint.
Operation Absolute Resolve, as the capture of Maduro was named, was executed Jan. 3 in Caracas, Venezuela. He was brought to New York City and faced charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.
Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim president two days later. She was formerly the vice president to Maduro.
Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy
Latest News Stories
WATCH: House committee debates D.C. crime after Trump emergency order
Illinois quick hits: Unemployment down; Rivian supplier gets tax incentives
Pritzker’s office ‘extremely troubled’ by photo with suspect ‘peacekeeper’
Democrats’ CR could cost up to $1.4 trillion, add millions to Obamacare plans
Treasury goes after fentanyl-producing Sinaloa Cartel faction
Pritzker touts quantum future, state senator urges caution for taxpayers
Supreme Court sets oral arguments in tariff case
WATCH: Pritzker on Kimmel suspension; SNAP error rate alarms; hemp regulations loom
Temporary Rockford Courthouse fence sparks debate over security and costs
Illinois quick hits: Report: Suspect pictured with Pritzker; more immigration arrests
Illinois quick hits: Suspect in custody after state senator’s home struck with gunfire
WATCH: Governor candidate: Low-cost districts shine while most IL schools spend, fail
