US soldier accused of betting on Maduro's removal pleads not guilty to fraud charges

US soldier accused of betting on Maduro's removal pleads not guilty to fraud charges6 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNardine SaadandKayla Epstein,In court in New YorkGannon Ken Van Dyke/Facebook/RealDonaldTrump via ReutersGannon Ken Van Dyke/Facebook/RealDonaldTrump via ReutersThe US special forces soldier who made thousands of dollars betting on the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has pleaded not guilty to charges that he used classified information to profit. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, was arraigned in New York federal court on Tuesday after being accused last week of betting on Maduro's January capture before the information was publicly available.The US government contends that he allegedly made trades on Polymarket, a crypto-powered platform, on the basis of classified information, winning more than $400,000 (£296,000).A federal judge released him on a $250,000 bond and ordered that he surrender his passport and restrict his travel. The other life of US soldier accused of betting on Maduro's removalHis attorneys did not immediately respond to the BBC's requests for comment.The soldier was arrested and charged last week after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that Van Dyke used his access to classified information about Operation Absolute Resolve to personally profit.He has been charged with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of non-public government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud and making an unlawful monetary transaction.His case marks the first such case filed by the DOJ regarding insider trading charges involving a prediction market.Van Dyke rose rank of master sergeant at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he signed non-disclosure agreements to deal with classified operations, including - prosecutors allege - his role in the seizure of Maduro in early January.According to federal charging papers, Van Dyke used his knowledge of top-secret operations...