The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has sanctioned Gabriel Perez, former teleprompter operator at the White House. He will have to pay 172,539.02 dollars after using non-public in
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has sanctioned Gabriel Perez, former teleprompter operator at the White House. He will have to pay 172,539.02 dollars after using non-public information to trade on the predictive markets platform Kalshi, notably on contracts related to Donald Trump’s interventions.
Between December 2025 and February 2026, Gabriel Perez worked as a teleprompter operator at the White House. This role allowed him access to the texts of presidential speeches before they were made public.
Your 1st cryptos with BitpandaThis link uses an affiliate program.According to the CFTC, he took advantage of this position to intervene on contracts offered by Kalshi. These markets allowed users in particular to take positions on words, expressions or phrases that Donald Trump was likely to say during his speeches.
For a trader who already knew the content of a speech, the advantage was obviously considerable. While other participants tried to anticipate the president’s statements from public information, Perez had a direct view of the text before publication.
According to the CFTC, this situation allowed him to carry out operations based on information the market did not yet have access to. Out of 43 contracts related to these “mention” markets, he reportedly recorded 39 wins.
The financial penalty consists of two main elements. Gabriel Perez will first have to return 107,539.02 dollars corresponding to profits made from these operations.
In addition to this amount, there is a civil penalty of 65,000 dollars, bringing the total to 172,539.02 dollars.
However, the CFTC notes that this sanction takes into account Perez’s cooperation during the investigation. The former White House employee is said to have provided assistance considered “exemplary” by the regulator, which helped reduce what could otherwise have been a heavier penalty.
Perez also agreed to cease any similar violations in the future. The order also prohibits him from participating in trading for a period of three years.
This case comes as prediction markets are experiencing rapid growth. Platforms like Kalshi or Polymarket are attracting an increasing number of users, with contracts covering politics as well as economics or sporting events.
The Perez case reminds us, however, that these markets are not an area exempt from rules on the use of non-public information. As their popularity grows, regulators are likely to pay more attention to individuals with privileged access to certain information.
The coming months could bring more clarity on the conditions under which institutional or government employees may participate in these markets.
Observers will also follow the evolution of the Van Dyke case, still pending, and any new CFTC guidelines regarding contracts linked to presidential statements and other sensitive events.
