Former White House Teleprompter Operator Fined $172,000 for Prediction Market Insider Trading

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced Friday that former White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez has agreed to pay $172,000 to settle insider trading charges related to his use of advance knowledge of presidential speeches to trade in prediction markets. Perez was able to access speech content before it was delivered due to his job, allowing him to place bets on known outcomes. Between December 2025 and February 2026, he profited over $107,500 from these trades.

Under the settlement, he will disgorge $107,539.02 in ill-gotten gains, pay a $65,000 civil monetary penalty, and face a three-year trading ban, in addition to ceasing further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act. The CFTC noted that the penalty was substantially reduced under its new cooperation program, praising Perez for providing exemplary assistance during the investigation while also thanking exchange operator Kalshi for its cooperation. This case highlights the insider trading risks accompanying the growing popularity of prediction markets. It follows a separate incident in which a U.S. soldier was prosecuted for insider trading related to military operations in Venezuela on Polymarket, and a MrBeast video editor was fired amid an insider trading investigation on Kalshi.