Former White House staffer fined by CFTC for insider trading on prediction markets using advance knowledge of presidential speeches.
Regulation & Gov ·
Gabriel Perez, a former White House teleprompter operator, agreed to a $172,000 settlement with the CFTC after trading prediction market contracts using advance knowledge of presidential speeches between December 2025 and February 2026. Perez generated $107,500 in profits by wagering on "presidential mention market" contracts based on confidential information accessible through his job, and must disgorge $107,539.02 in gains, pay a $65,000 penalty, and accept a three-year trading ban. The case exemplifies insider-trading vulnerabilities in prediction markets, which have grown in popularity and volume as platforms enable users to bet on real-world outcomes including political speech content.