Former White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez has agreed to surrender more than $100,000 in alleged profits, pay a $65,000 civil penalty and accept a three-year trading ban after US regulators said he used advance access to Donald Trump’s speeches to place prediction-market bets. The case matters because it concerns the misuse of non-public government information on markets that allow users to wager on public events and statements.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said Perez earned $107,500 between December 2025 and February 2026 by betting on words or phrases in presidential speeches on Kalshi. The White House placed him on unpaid administrative leave and said he would no longer work there; officials characterised the incident as the actions of one individual rather than a broader security or ethics failure. The penalty was reduced in recognition of Perez’s cooperation, according to the regulator.