A U.S. Army special forces soldier who helped capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro now faces decades in prison for using classified details from the raid to win more than $400,000 on an online betting site, a case that has dragged former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi into the debate over insider trading double standards in Washington.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna says the punishment shows a double standard in Washington. She points to Nancy Pelosi, whose family’s stock trades have produced huge gains over the years while she was in Congress, with no criminal charges filed.

Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, took part in Operation Absolute Resolve on Jan. 3, 2026. U.S. forces seized Maduro and his wife from a home in Caracas and brought them to the United States.

Federal prosecutors say Van Dyke used nonpublic information about the mission to place bets on Polymarket, a prediction market platform.

The amount that Van Dyke collected from his bet

He wagered about $33,000 across more than a dozen trades on whether Maduro would be removed from power.

After the raid succeeded, he collected roughly $409,881 in profits, according to the indictment unsealed Thursday in New York federal court.

Van Dyke faces five charges: unlawful use of confidential government information, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and an unlawful monetary transaction. A conviction on the counts could result in up to 60 years in prison.

He signed nondisclosure agreements that barred him from revealing classified details. Prosecutors say he broke those promises for personal gain while stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Also Read: Trump Weighs in on Special Forces Soldier Arrested for Betting on Maduro Raid

On Fox News with host Laura Ingraham, Friday, April 24, Luna called the case unfair. She said Van Dyke did something wrong, but argued the sentence does not fit the crime when compared with how Congress handles its own cases.

“Nancy Pelosi walks free,” Luna said in relation to Pelosi and her husband, Paul Pelosi, who have seen their stock portfolio deliver returns estimated at more than 17,000 percent during her time in office.p

That’s well in front of the wider market and even top investors like Warren Buffett, Luna added.

Growth of the Pelosi family’s wealth

Public financial statements show the Pelosi family’s wealth grew sharply. Reports put stock profits at more than $130 million over nearly four decades in Congress.

Pelosi has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. She says she has no role in her husband’s investment decisions and that the trades are legal.

She has called accusations of insider trading “ridiculous.” No federal charges have ever been brought against her or her husband.

Luna said members of Congress from both parties trade stocks based on information they gain on the job. She argued the rules should apply equally.

A soldier who leaks classified details gets hammered, she said, while lawmakers who benefit from nonpublic insights face little real risk.

“Congress routinely does this,” Luna told Ingraham. “Nancy Pelosi walks free while this soldier could spend the rest of his life in prison.”

The STOCK Act of 2012 requires lawmakers to disclose trades, but it does not ban members or their spouses from buying and selling individual stocks.

Also Read: Inside Job? U.S. Soldier Arrested After $400K Maduro Raid Betting Win

Bills to impose a full ban have stalled in Congress for years. Pelosi has at times expressed support for restrictions and has also defended the practice as part of a free market.

Van Dyke appeared in federal court in North Carolina on Friday and was released on bond. His lawyer has not commented publicly on the charges.

The Maduro raid drew international criticism but was hailed by the Trump administration as a success against a leader long accused of drug trafficking and human rights abuses. The operation involved elite units, more than 150 aircraft, and support for cyber and electronic warfare.

Luna used the soldier’s case to renew calls for congressional responsibility. She said the public sees one set of rules for everyday Americans and the military, and another for those at the top in Washington.

The contrast Luna drew between the soldier’s potential decades in prison and Pelosi’s untouched record is sparking fresh debate online and on Capitol Hill about insider trading in Congress.