Xny/star Max | Gc Images | Getty Images
The soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, “participated in the planning and execution of the” operation to capture Maduro, the DOJ said.
The arrest comes as Polymarket and Kalshi have increased in popularity and as concerns have grown about people with inside information making wagers on those prediction market platforms.
Van Dyke, 38, is expected to be presented on Thursday evening to a magistrate judge in federal court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
The Fayetteville, North Carolina, resident is charged with three counts of violating the Commodity Exchange Act; one count of wire fraud; and one count of unlawful monetary transaction. He faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted of the top criminal count, wire fraud, and up to 10 years in each of the remaining counts.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates prediction markets, separately charged Van Dyke in a civil complaint for allegedly using classified nonpublic information to make the wagers related to the Maduro capture mission.
Both the criminal and civil cases against Van Dyke were filed in New York City, in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
“Widespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply,” Blanche said.
CNBC has requested comment about the case from Polymarket.
CNBC’s Jim Forkin contributed to this article.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
About the Author
