Former White House teleprompter operator ordered to pay $172,539 over Trump speech bets

A former White House teleprompter operator has been ordered to pay $172,539 after using information about Donald Trump’s speeches to place bets on an online prediction market, according to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Gabriel Perez worked as a White House teleprompter operator from December through February. The CFTC said he used his knowledge of words or content that might appear in Trump’s speeches to place bets on Kalshi, a prediction-market platform.

The regulator accused Perez of abusing information for profit and violating his duties of trust and confidentiality. Its order requires him to surrender $107,539 in alleged illegal gains and pay a $65,000 civil penalty. It also imposes a three-year ban on trading and requires him to stop the conduct and comply with federal market-manipulation rules.

The CFTC said the penalties represented a substantial discount because Perez showed exemplary cooperation during the investigation. The White House had previously announced that he no longer worked as a teleprompter operator, but it was unclear whether he resigned or was dismissed.