According to the indictment released on 23/4, army special forces soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke opened an account on an international betting platform in late 12/2025. He placed a bet of over 33,000 USD that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro would be overthrown before 31/1. This was a bet with low odds of winning.

Officials stated that Van Dyke "participated in the planning and execution of a military operation to apprehend President Nicolas Maduro". He placed 13 bets and profited over 409,000 USD.

In the early hours of 3/1, the US launched "Operation Absolute Resolve", deploying around 150 aircraft in simultaneous airstrikes against multiple targets in Venezuela. This operation facilitated special forces movement by helicopter into the capital Caracas to capture President Maduro and his wife.

Van Dyke faces charges including: unlawful use of classified government information for personal gain, theft of non-public government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and engaging in illegal monetary transactions.

US helicopter flying over the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, on 3/1. *Video: X/DiscloseTV*

"The charges stem from a scheme in which Van Dyke allegedly used sensitive classified information for betting purposes", according to a statement from the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

According to the US Department of Justice, Van Dyke transferred most of his profits to an offshore cryptocurrency wallet before depositing the money into another online trading account. "On the very day the operation was completed, Van Dyke withdrew most of the funds allegedly obtained through illicit gains", the agency stated.

Three days after the raid in Venezuela, Van Dyke also requested the betting platform to delete his account, citing "lost access to the email address".

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a US federal regulatory agency, announced it is "seeking restitution, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, and the imposition of civil monetary penalties" against Van Dyke.

The betting platform stated it had forwarded information to the US Department of Justice and cooperated with the investigation upon discovering a user trading based on classified government information.

When asked to comment on the incident, President Donald Trump said he disliked anything related to betting. "I don't know anything about that, I will look into it. It's sad that the whole world has somewhat become a casino. I'm not happy with such things", he stated.

Maduro being taken to court in New York, US, on 5/1. *Photo: Reuters*

Acting US Attorney Todd Blanche emphasized that soldiers entrusted with classified information are expected to complete their missions as safely and effectively as possible and are prohibited from using such highly sensitive information for personal financial gain.

Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Kash Patel stated that the indictment against Van Dyke "is clear proof that no one is above the law" and the FBI will do everything to protect the country and national secrets.

The Venezuelan president was detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. He was only permitted to contact his family and lawyer by phone, for a maximum of 15 minutes per call, according to sources.

Venezuela's current leader is interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who previously served as Vice President under Maduro.

Vu Hoang (According to NBC News, CNN, AFP, Reuters)