Ex-White House Teleprompter Operator Fined for Prediction Market Insider Trading

In brief

• The CFTC fined former White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez $172,000 to settle charges he misappropriated advance knowledge of presidential speeches to trade "presidential mention market" contracts.
• Perez generated over $107,500 in profits between December 2025 and February 2026; his settlement includes disgorging $107,539.02, a $65,000 penalty and a three-year trading ban.
• The case highlights insider-trading risks shadowing fast-growing prediction markets, echoing prior incidents.

A former White House teleprompter operator has agreed to pay $172,000 to settle charges that he traded on advance knowledge of presidential speeches, betting on prediction markets tied to the words President Donald Trump would say.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said Friday that Gabriel Perez misappropriated confidential government information to trade "presidential mention market" contracts, event contracts that pay out based on specific words or phrases a president uses in a speech.

Because his job gave him access to speeches before they were delivered, Perez was able to wager on outcomes he already knew, the agency said.

Between December 2025 and February 2026, Perez allegedly used that edge to generate more than $107,500 in profits, according to the CFTC's order. Under the settlement, he must disgorge $107,539.02 in gains and pay a $65,000 civil penalty, accept a three-year trading ban, and cease further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act.