Ex-White House teleprompter operator ordered to pay $172,000 for Trump speech bets

Gabriel Perez, a former White House teleprompter operator, was ordered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to pay $172,539.02 for misappropriating his prior knowledge of President Donald Trump's speeches to place bets on Kalshi, a prediction markets platform. The CFTC announced the settlement on Friday, stating Perez would surrender profits of $107,539.02 and pay a civil penalty of $65,000, reduced due to his cooperation. He was also banned from trading for three years. The White House has not commented, but in July, then-press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Perez was on unpaid leave and would not return. Kalshi's lead lawyer welcomed the decision, and the company had reported the unusual betting activity to the regulator in March.