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Ex-White House teleprompter operator ordered to pay $172,000 for Trump speech bets
Confirmed
August 28, 2026 / 11:37 PM EDT / CBS/AP A former White House teleprompter operator accused of using inside knowledge to make bets on the prediction market Kalshi has been ordered to turn over more than $100,000 in profits and pay a $65,000 fine as part of a settlement with federal authorities.
The staffer was found to have made tens of thousands of dollars through betting on what the president would say in his speeches A former White House teleprompter operator has been ordered to pay more than $172,000 (£127,000) for using inside information to bet on US President Donald Trump's speeches.
A teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump who made online prediction trades based on information from upcoming speeches has been ordered to pay $172,000, a federal agency said Friday night. Perez was ordered to repay his profits in full, along with the $65,000 civil penalty, which the commission said was a reduction because of his "exemplary cooperation.
Announcing the settlement on Friday, the CFTC said Perez had "misappropriated" his prior knowledge of Trump's speeches to place bets "in breach of his duty of trust and confidence". It said it had used account data to find that the user was a federal employee operating White House teleprompters, and had reported the activity to the regulator.
A White House official said in July that Perez was no longer in his position but did not say if he had been fired or resigned. As details emerged July 16, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was "unfortunate" and "a disgrace."
Gabriel Perez used “material, nonpublic information” he obtained through his job to place “trades” on a prediction market, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in a news release. The commission found that Perez made $107,500 on prediction markets by betting on words and phrases that would appear in Mr. Trump's speeches between December 2025 and February 2026.
Today this individual was subjected to penalties by the CFTC and by our exchange,” Bobby DeNault, Kalshi’s lead lawyer, said in a post on X. Perez was placed on leave in July and Leavitt said at the time that “this individual will no longer be here.
He’s also banned from trading on prediction markets for three years, the CFTC said.
What's confirmed
- The staffer was found to have made tens of thousands of dollars through betting on what the president would say in his speeches A former White House teleprompter operator has been ordered to pay more than $172,000…
- Perez was ordered to repay his profits in full, along with the $65,000 civil penalty, which the commission said was a reduction because of his "exemplary cooperation.
- A teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump who made online prediction trades based on information from upcoming speeches has been ordered to pay $172,000, a federal agency said Friday night.
What's still developing
- Announcing the settlement on Friday, the CFTC said Perez had "misappropriated" his prior knowledge of Trump's speeches to place bets "in breach of his duty of trust and confidence".
- It said it had used account data to find that the user was a federal employee operating White House teleprompters, and had reported the activity to the regulator.
- August 28, 2026 / 11:37 PM EDT / CBS/AP A former White House teleprompter operator accused of using inside knowledge to make bets on the prediction market Kalshi has been ordered to turn over more than $100,000 in…
- A White House official said in July that Perez was no longer in his position but did not say if he had been fired or resigned.
- The commission found that Perez made $107,500 on prediction markets by betting on words and phrases that would appear in Mr. Trump's speeches between December 2025 and February 2026.
- As details emerged July 16, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was "unfortunate" and "a disgrace."
- Gabriel Perez used “material, nonpublic information” he obtained through his job to place “trades” on a prediction market, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in a news release .
- He’s also banned from trading on prediction markets for three years, the CFTC said.