CFTC fines ex-White House aide $172,539 for trading on Trump speech data
Former White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez fined $172,539 by CFTC for trading on nonpublic Trump speech information.
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has ordered Gabriel Perez, a former White House teleprompter operator, to pay $172,539 for using advance knowledge of President Donald Trump's speeches to make illegal trades on a prediction-market platform.
Under a settlement with the CFTC, Perez must disgorge $107,539.02 in profits and pay a $65,000 civil penalty. He also agreed to a three-year trading ban and to cease and desist from further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations.
The CFTC said Perez traded presidential "mention market" contracts on the Kalshi platform between December 2025 and February 2026 while employed at the White House. These event contracts pay out based on whether a president uses specific words or phrases in speeches.
Perez had access to Trump's speeches before they were delivered and used that material, nonpublic information to trade the contracts for his personal benefit, the agency said. He was placed on unpaid leave and is no longer working for the federal government.
The CFTC noted that Perez's $65,000 penalty represented a substantial discount because of his "exemplary cooperation" with the investigation. The agency also credited KalshiEX with assisting in the matter.
Perez could not immediately be reached for comment.