CFTC fines former White House operator for prediction market insider trading

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced a settlement with Gabriel Perez, a former White House teleprompter operator, regarding insider trading in prediction markets. Perez agreed to pay a total of $172,539, which includes returning $107,539 in profits and paying a $65,000 civil monetary penalty.

According to the CFTC, Perez used material, nonpublic information obtained through his federal position to trade presidential ‘mention market’ contracts between December 2025 and February 2026. These contracts depend on whether specific words or phrases are used during presidential speeches. His role provided him with advance access to President Donald Trump’s speeches before they were delivered publicly.

Perez has also agreed to a three-year trading ban. The CFTC noted that the civil penalty was reduced due to his “exemplary cooperation” during the investigation. The regulator also credited the prediction market platform Kalshi for assisting in the probe.