CFTC Fines Ex-White House Aide for Prediction Market Insider Bets on Trump Speeches
Highlights
- The CFTC has fined Gabriel Perez $172,000.
- A three-year trading ban has also been imposed on Perez.
- This follows his insider bets on Trump speeches while he worked as a White House teleprompter operator.
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has fined Gabriel Perez, a former White House teleprompter operator. This followed his insider bets on President Trump’s speeches while he held the position.
CFTC Fines Former White House Aide For Insider Trading
In a press release, the Commission revealed that it has ordered Perez to pay $172,000 for insider trading of mention markets on the prediction market platform Kalshi. This formed part of the settlement of the charges against the former White House aide for using nonpublic information obtained through his employment to trade on these markets for personal gain.
The CFTC noted that under the order, the former Trump teleprompter operator must pay what he made from the unlawful trading, with profits totaling $107,539 and also pay a civil monetary penalty of $65,000, which is a discount because of Perez’s “exemplary cooperation” with the Commission.
Meanwhile, the CFTC has also imposed a three-year trading ban under the settlement order. This comes just over a month after CoinGape first reported that the Trump teleprompter operator was under a CFTC probe for insider trading.
The White House had confirmed back then that the CFTC investigation was ongoing and that it had put Perez on administrative leave. Perez’s case is notably just one of the prediction market insider trading cases this year, with the DOJ earlier this year indicting a soldier for Maduro-related bets on Polymarket.
Trades Between December 2025 and February 2026
The CFTC order revealed that the former Trump teleprompter operator traded presidential mention market contracts between December 2025 and February 2026 while working at the White House. The mention markets tracked words or phrases President Trump might say during his speeches.
The CFTC noted that Perez had access to these speeches before the president delivered them and misappropriated that information to generate over $107,500 in profits. The Commission acknowledged Kalshi’s assistance in the matter, as the prediction market platform flagged these trades for their irregularity.
For more on prediction markets, check out Best Regulated Prediction Markets in the US
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