A U.S. special forces soldier has been arrested and charged with using classified military information to place winning bets on the prediction market Polymarket, pocketing approximately $400,000 by wagering on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the Department of Justice announced.
The soldier allegedly had advance knowledge of a U.S. military raid targeting Maduro and used that information to bet on the outcome before it became public. Polymarket is a decentralized prediction market platform where users can wager on real-world events, including political and military developments.
The DOJ's case marks one of the first known instances of a service member facing criminal charges for using classified operational details to profit on a prediction platform. The charges point to a growing concern among law enforcement and intelligence agencies about the intersection of online betting markets and sensitive government information.
The arrest was first reported by Axios and subsequently confirmed by the DOJ. Specific charges were not immediately detailed in public filings reviewed by news outlets as of Thursday, but prosecutors framed the conduct as a serious breach of the soldier's security obligations.
The Maduro operation itself became a flashpoint earlier this year after U.S. forces were involved in actions related to the Venezuelan government. The timing of the bets, placed ahead of key developments in the operation, drew scrutiny from investigators.
