Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Calls for Pardon of Soldier Charged in Maduro Betting Case

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna has publicly urged President Trump to pardon Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, the U.S. Army soldier arrested Thursday for allegedly using classified information to win over $400,000 on a prediction market.

Van Dyke, an 18-year veteran, is accused of placing bets on Polymarket regarding the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro while being directly involved in the planning of "Operation Absolute Resolve."

In a statement released shortly after the Department of Justice unsealed the indictment on April 23, 2026, Luna characterized the prosecution as an example of "skewed justice."

She argued that the federal government is targeting a service member for "insider trading" while failing to hold members of Congress to the same standard. "Unless the DOJ plans on going after all the crooks in Congress currently insider trading, this is simply skewed justice," Luna said.

The case against Van Dyke is the first of its kind, involving the use of military secrets to profit from digital prediction contracts. Prosecutors allege that between December 2025 and January 2026, Van Dyke used his access to sensitive intelligence to wager on the timing of Maduro's removal and the entry of U.S. forces into Venezuela.

Following the successful raid on January 3, 2026, Van Dyke reportedly walked away with approximately $409,881 in profit.

Luna’s call for a pardon aligns with her ongoing legislative efforts to ban stock trading by members of Congress. Earlier this year, she partnered with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to advocate for a constitutional amendment that would prohibit federal lawmakers from trading individual stocks while in office.

Critics of the congresswoman’s stance argue that there is a fundamental difference between legal though controversial market participation by lawmakers and the alleged theft of classified military intelligence for personal gain.

As Van Dyke faces up to 60 years in prison on charges of wire fraud, commodities fraud, and theft of government information, the White House has not yet signaled whether a pardon is under consideration.

The arrest has already sparked a broader debate in Washington over the regulation of prediction markets and the ethical obligations of those entrusted with national security secrets.