The U.S. CFTC fines former White House teleprompter operator $172,000

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) ordered former White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez to pay a fine of $172,539 this Friday for illegally trading on a prediction market platform using advance knowledge of Trump's speech content.

According to a settlement agreement with the CFTC, Perez must return illegal profits of $107,539.02 and pay a civil penalty of $65,000. He also agreed to a three-year trading ban and committed to cease and not violate the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations.

The CFTC noted that Perez traded Trump "mention market" contracts on the Kalshi platform during his time at the White House from December 2025 to February 2026. These contracts are event contracts that determine payouts based on whether the president uses specific words or phrases in a speech.