A former White House teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, is ordered to pay about $172,000 and forfeit profits after a settlement with federal regulators related to prediction market bets tied to President Trump’s speeches. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced the penalties. Multiple outlets report he placed bets through the prediction market platform Kalshi.
According to the CFTC and outlets including ABC News, Perez earned more than $100,000 from the trades. The settlement requires him to turn over more than $100,000 in profits and pay a $65,000 penalty, for a total payment figure reported as $172,000. CBS and NBC similarly describe the settlement terms and the basis for the case.
Outlets also report that Perez was placed on unpaid leave from his White House role after concerns that he used his position and prior knowledge of what Trump would say to make the bets. The agreement includes a three-year trading ban, according to the CFTC reporting summarized by BBC, ABC News, and other outlets.
