US soldier facing charges for allegedly betting on Maduro operation using intel
- Posted on April 24, 2026
- By Le Monde
- 1 Views
- 1 min read
In brief
A U.S. military officer has been indicted for allegedly exploiting classified information about covert operations targeting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to place profitable bets on cryptocurrency prediction markets. The alleged scheme involved using Polymarket, a decentralized betting platform, to wager on geopolitical events with inside knowledge. Federal prosecutors have filed multiple charges including wire fraud and commodity exchange violations, with potential penalties reaching five decades of imprisonment if convicted on all counts.
US soldier facing charges for allegedly betting on Maduro operation using intel
The 38-year-old soldier, who used Polymarket to wager, faces one count of wire fraud, one count of an unlawful monetary transaction and three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, according to the indictment. If Van Dyke is convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison.
