Kalshi trader ordered to pay US$172,539

• The CFTC ordered former White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez to pay US$172,539 over Kalshi trades.
• Perez must repay US$107,539.02 in profits and pay a US$65,000 civil penalty.
• The order also bars Perez from trading on CFTC-registered entities for three years.

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission ordered former White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez to pay US$172,539 over trades on Kalshi’s mention markets.

Perez traded contracts tied to words used in President Donald Trump’s speeches after accessing prepared remarks before delivery.

“It doesn’t matter who you are: violate our rules or federal law and you will face the consequences,” said Kalshi head of enforcement Robert DeNault on X.

The CFTC ordered Perez to repay US$107,539.02 in profits and pay a US$65,000 civil penalty.

Perez also accepted a three-year trading ban and agreed to cease further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations.

The CFTC said Perez opened his Kalshi account on December 8, 2025, and traded between December 2025 and February 2026.

The case is the CFTC’s second event-contract settlement since late July, following a separate action involving former congressman George Santos.