The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has taken action against Gabriel Perez, a former teleprompter operator for President Trump, for using advance access to presidential speeches to engage in illegal trading on a prediction-market platform. Perez is required to repay $107,539.02 in profits and pay a $65,000 civil penalty as part of a settlement with the CFTC.
Additionally, he faces a three-year trading ban and must cease any further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations.
The CFTC's investigation revealed that Perez traded 'mention market' contracts on Kalshi, which are event contracts that pay out based on specific words or phrases used in presidential speeches, between December 2025 and February 2026 while employed at the White House.
The agency noted that Perez's penalty was reduced due to his cooperation during the investigation, and it acknowledged the assistance provided by KalshiEX. Following these events, Perez has been placed on unpaid leave and is no longer employed by the federal government