Gabriel Perez, who served as a teleprompter operator at the White House, has been ordered to pay $172,000 following an investigation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). According to the federal agency, Perez engaged in illicit trading by leveraging his access to the President’s schedule and speech content to profit from prediction market contracts.

The CFTC stated that Perez placed bets on the outcomes of events related to presidential speeches, knowing the details before they were made public. As part of the settlement, Perez is required to pay $107,539.02 in disgorgement, which represents the profits he gained from these trades. Additionally, he must pay a civil monetary penalty of $64,523.41. The agency’s action highlights the regulatory focus on individuals who exploit non-public information to gain an unfair advantage in financial or prediction markets.

While the report confirms the financial penalties and the nature of the misconduct, it does not detail the specific timeframe of the trades or the internal White House security protocols that were bypassed. The case serves as a reminder of the legal consequences for federal employees who utilize sensitive, non-public information for personal financial gain.