Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, allegedly exploited sensitive details from a January mission to capture Maduro, using insider knowledge to place wagers on the platform Polymarket, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York.

Prosecutors said Van Dyke participated in the planning and execution of the operation for about a month starting Dec. 8, 2025, during which he had access to classified material.He faces multiple charges, including unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.

If convicted, he could face a lengthy prison sentence.According to the indictment, Van Dyke created an account on Polymarket in late December and placed around 13 bets, taking positions on outcomes such as the presence of U.S. forces in Venezuela and Maduro being removed from power by Jan. 31, 2026.

Officials allege that after securing the winnings, Van Dyke transferred much of the funds into a foreign cryptocurrency account before moving them into a brokerage account. He also attempted to have his Polymarket account deleted, claiming he had lost access to the associated email, prosecutors said.

Van Dyke, a Master Sergeant promoted in 2023, was part of the U.S. special forces community and stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The indictment states he had signed nondisclosure agreements prohibiting the disclosure or misuse of classified or sensitive operational information.

Kash Patel said the case underscores accountability for individuals entrusted with national security information. “Any clearance holders thinking of cashing in their access and knowledge for personal gain will be held accountable,” he said in a statement.

The case follows heightened scrutiny of prediction markets after reports earlier this month identified suspiciously accurate bets tied to geopolitical developments, prompting warnings from the White House against the misuse of nonpublic information in such platforms.

The Pentagon referred inquiries to the Army and the Department of Justice, while U.S. Special Operations Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The settlement resolves claims brought by Page, a former adviser to Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, who argued in a 2020 lawsuit that he was subjected to improper monitoring by the Federal Bureau of Investigation under warrants approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Page denied any ties to Russia and was never charged with a crime. His lawsuit cited errors and omissions in surveillance applications submitted by FBI and Justice Department officials in 2016 and 2017, which sought authorization to monitor him as a suspected foreign agent.

The agreement was disclosed in a filing to the Supreme Court of the United States, where Page had appealed after lower courts dismissed his claims as untimely. The filing did not specify the financial terms, but a person familiar with the matter confirmed the $1.25 million figure.

The settlement does not extend to claims Page filed against individual former FBI officials, which remain separate.The lawsuit followed a critical report by the Justice Department’s inspector general, which identified significant flaws in the surveillance applications.

Former officials involved in approving the warrants later said they would not have done so had they been aware of the full extent of the issues, while the FBI has since implemented more than 40 corrective measures to strengthen oversight and accuracy.

The surveillance of Page constituted only a limited part of the broader inquiry into links between Trump’s campaign and Russia. That investigation, led by special counsel Robert Mueller, found that Russia interfered in the election in Trump’s favor but did not establish sufficient evidence to prove a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and Moscow.

In a related development, the Justice Department reached a separate settlement last month with Michael Flynn, agreeing to pay approximately $1.2 million.

Flynn had pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about contacts with a Russian diplomat before later receiving a presidential pardon.

Reza Dindar, 44, was arrested in Panama in July at the request of U.S. authorities and transferred to the United States last week. He made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Seattle, with arraignment scheduled for May 1, according to officials.

Prosecutors allege that Dindar conspired to violate longstanding U.S. trade sanctions by acquiring military sonar components under false pretenses and rerouting them to Iran. The indictment, unsealed Friday, charges him with conspiracy, smuggling and money laundering.

According to court documents, Dindar operated a company, New Port Sourcing Solutions, based in Xi’an, China, and between 2011 and 2012 arranged the purchase of parts for three military sonar systems from a business in Washington state.

Prosecutors said the transactions were carried out using deceptive practices, including misrepresenting the final destination of the equipment and asserting that no export license was required.

The components, valued at $97,600, were allegedly shipped first to China and then covertly transferred to Iran, in violation of U.S. sanctions imposed in 1995 and reinforced in 2001.Authorities have not disclosed Dindar’s whereabouts in the years between the alleged offenses and his arrest.

His attorney, Farhad Alavi, declined to comment.The case underscores ongoing U.S. enforcement efforts targeting alleged sanctions evasion networks involving dual-use or military-sensitive technologies.

In a separate matter, federal prosecutors said a Los Angeles woman was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of assisting Iran in trafficking weapons to Sudan, though officials said the cases are unrelated.

Mohammad Sharifullah is charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death, in connection with the blast at Hamid Karzai International Airport during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Opening statements in federal court featured sharply contrasting accounts of Sharifullah’s alleged involvement. Defense attorney Geremy Kamens said U.S. authorities had “got the wrong man” and argued that statements attributed to his client were unreliable because they were obtained while he was in foreign custody.

Prosecutor John Gibbs countered that Sharifullah, also known as Jafar, had expressed support for attacks against Americans and admitted ties to the regional affiliate of the Islamic State group, known as Daesh-K.According to prosecutors, Sharifullah told investigators he joined the group around 2016 and acknowledged involvement in militant activities, though he denied a direct planning role in the Kabul bombing.

The government alleges he helped scout the bomber’s route to the airport ahead of the attack.The bombing occurred on Aug. 26, 2021, near Abbey Gate at the airport, where thousands of Afghans were attempting to flee as U.S. forces completed their withdrawal.

A review by U.S. Central Command identified the attacker as Abdul Rahman Al-Logari, a Daesh-K operative who had been released from prison shortly before the incident.Sharifullah was captured and brought to the United States in 2025 after his arrest in Pakistan.

Then-President Donald Trump announced his capture, and he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted.Jurors heard that the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted multiple interviews with Sharifullah following his detention.

The defense argued those statements should be viewed with skepticism, alleging coercion during his time in Pakistani custody.

The trial, taking place in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, is expected to last about a week. Twelve jurors and three alternates have been empaneled to hear the case.

The suspect, identified as Shamim Mafi, is accused of brokering deals involving drones, bombs, bomb fuses and large quantities of ammunition between Iranian entities and the Sudanese Armed Forces, according to statements by U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.

Mafi, an Iranian national who became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in 2016, was taken into custody on Saturday night and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday. Authorities said it was not immediately clear whether she had secured legal representation.

A criminal complaint filed on March 12 alleges that Mafi and an unnamed associate operated a company based in Oman, Atlas International Business, which prosecutors say was used to channel arms transactions. The firm reportedly received more than $7 million in payments in 2025 linked to these activities.

Court documents also allege that Mafi helped arrange the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses to Sudan’s Ministry of Defense and submitted a letter of intent to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to procure the materials.If convicted, Mafi could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The case comes amid Sudan’s protracted civil war, now in its fourth year, which has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis marked by widespread displacement and acute shortages of food and basic supplies.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said the artworks, valued at approximately $198,000, were retrieved in coordination with U.S. authorities and form part of broader efforts to recover assets allegedly misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Berhad between 2009 and 2014.

The collection includes Picasso’s “L’Ecuyère et les clowns” (1961), alongside works by Joan Miró, Maurice Utrillo and Balthus. Authorities said the pieces had been held in the United States and were among artworks linked to individuals associated with the fund.
The MACC said the items are now under strict security and undergoing environmental stabilisation before authentication and valuation by Malaysia’s National Visual Arts Development Board.

The repatriation follows earlier coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice, as Malaysia continues efforts to trace and recover assets across jurisdictions.
Authorities said some of the recovered works had previously been stored at major auction houses, including Christie’s and Sotheby’s, after being seized from a former lawyer linked to 1MDB.

Malaysia has sought to recover more than $4.5 billion believed to have been siphoned from the sovereign fund in a global scheme involving luxury assets ranging from real estate to artwork.

To date, about 31.2 billion ringgit ($7.90 billion) has been recovered, representing nearly 70% of identified assets, according to the MACC.

The 1MDB case, co-founded by former prime minister Najib Razak, has triggered investigations in multiple countries.

Najib was convicted and jailed in 2022 over charges linked to the scandal, which he has consistently denied.
The MACC said the recovered artworks may be publicly displayed before any decision is made on potential sale.