Commodity Futures Trading Commission Fines Trump Teleprompter Operator $172,000 for Betting on His Speeches

cryptonews.ruPublicado a 2026-08-29Actualizado a 2026-08-29

Resumen

Gabriel Perez, a longtime teleprompter operator for Donald Trump, has agreed to pay over $172,000 to settle Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) charges that he placed bets on Trump's speeches using his insider access. Perez used his advance knowledge of the text to trade on "mention markets" on the Kalshi platform from December 2025 to February 2026, winning 39 out of 49 bets for a profit exceeding $107,000. The CFTC ordered him to disgorge the profits and pay a separate $65,000 civil penalty; Kalshi also banned him for three years. His penalty was reduced due to "exemplary cooperation" and a voluntary confession. This marks the first known case of a White House insider caught trading on such prediction markets. Kalshi's surveillance flagged the suspicious activity. Perez, a Trump aide since 2016, was placed on unpaid leave and is no longer a federal employee. The CFTC chairman has pledged to curb insider trading in the growing prediction market industry.

Gabriel Perez, who worked with Donald Trump's teleprompter for nearly a decade, has agreed to pay more than $172,000 to settle allegations from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission that he bet on Trump's own speeches using words he saw earlier than anyone else.

Prediction markets surged in popularity in 2026, and this settlement marks the first known instance of a White House insider being caught trading on such a platform. Regulators also issued warnings to public servants that their access to non-public information is not an advantage for betting.

Who Was Betting on Trump's Words?

Gabriel Perez, Trump's longtime teleprompter operator, is accused of placing bets on Kalshi's "mention markets," where traders can guess whether a public figure will say a specific word or phrase during an event.

Perez had an unfair advantage, as he was often the last staffer to see Trump's remarks before they were delivered. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) found that he used this text for his personal financial gain.

The regulator identified 49 trades between December 2025 and February 2026, of which Perez won 39, making over $107,000 in profit. He bet on what Trump might say during the State of the Union address, the National Prayer Breakfast, a Medal of Honor ceremony, and various rallies.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) ordered Perez to disgorge $107,539.02 in trading profits and pay a separate civil penalty of $65,000. Kalshi also banned him from the platform for three years.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said Perez's punishment was mitigated because he demonstrated "exemplary cooperation." They took into account that he voluntarily confessed in an interview, stating his trading decisions were indeed based on information obtained from reviewing speeches.

Christy Goldsmith Romero, a former CFTC commissioner appointed under Joe Biden, said the CFTC missed an opportunity to "send a strong signal" to future insiders.

How Was the White House Insider Caught?

Perez was discovered after Kalshi's surveillance team detected anomalous activity on Trump-related mention markets, traced the account, and linked it to a federal employee operating the teleprompter at the White House. The case was then referred to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Bobby DeNo, head of surveillance at Kalshi, stated on X that anyone who violates the company's rules or federal law "will face the consequences."

Perez, who had worked for Trump since the 2016 campaign and earned $175,000 a year as a deputy assistant, was placed on unpaid leave in July. Then-press secretary Carolina Leavitt called his conduct "shameful," and by the end of that month, Perez was reportedly no longer working for the federal government.

Cryptopolitan reported being in contact with former Republican George Santos regarding a contract with Kalshi concerning his attendance at the annual State of the Union address.

Federal prosecutors have also charged a U.S. Army soldier with betting on the Polymarket exchange regarding the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and a Google engineer who made about $1.2 million trading on internal search data.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Michael Selig, appointed by Trump, has supported the prediction market industry but also vowed to crack down on insider trading within it.

Preguntas relacionadas

QWhat is Gabriel Perez accused of by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)?

AGabriel Perez is accused of betting on former President Donald Trump's speeches using confidential information he had early access to as Trump's teleprompter operator.

QHow much is Gabriel Perez required to pay as a result of the CFTC's actions?

AGabriel Perez is required to pay back $107,539.02 in trading profits and a separate $65,000 civil penalty, totaling over $172,000.

QWhat platform was used for the bets, and what additional punishment did Perez receive from it?

AThe bets were placed on the prediction market platform Kalshi, which also banned Perez from using its platform for three years.

QHow was Gabriel Perez caught by the authorities?

APerez was caught after Kalshi's surveillance team detected abnormal trading activity on Trump-related prediction markets, traced the account, and linked it to him as a federal employee managing the White House teleprompter.

QWhat was a criticism from a former CFTC commissioner regarding this case?

AFormer CFTC commissioner Christy Goldsmith Romero, appointed under President Biden, criticized the CFTC for missing an opportunity to 'send a strong signal' to future insider traders by potentially being too lenient.

Lecturas Relacionadas

How Can Bitcoin Resist Quantum Computers? A Comparative Analysis of Three Lattice-Based Signature Schemes

This report from Blockstream Research analyzes three lattice-based signature schemes as quantum-resistant candidates for Bitcoin, focusing on Dilithium, Falcon, and the now-withdrawn Hawk. Core evaluation criteria include on-chain costs (combined size of public key and signature), implementation complexity, deployment risks, and potential for integration with Bitcoin's existing infrastructure like BIP-32 hierarchical deterministic wallets. Key Findings: * **Dilithium** is praised for its design simplicity, using only integer operations, making secure implementation easier. However, it has the largest size (5,261 bytes for security level 3). * **Falcon** offers the most compact signatures and the fastest verification. Its main drawback—platform-dependent floating-point operations in signing—can be mitigated with a slower, deterministic integer-based implementation. The report recommends **Falcon-1024** (security level 5) for its safety margin. * **Hawk**, which aimed for a better balance, was withdrawn after a cryptographic attack revealed a structural flaw that halved its estimated security. The report concludes that Falcon-1024 is the most suitable lattice-based choice for Bitcoin, pending the finalization of its NIST FN-DSA standard. In the short term, it still recommends hash-based signatures (like SPHINCS+) as a lower-risk transitional solution, with future hybrid deployments as a possibility.

marsbitHace 24 min(s)

How Can Bitcoin Resist Quantum Computers? A Comparative Analysis of Three Lattice-Based Signature Schemes

marsbitHace 24 min(s)

Bitcoin Outperforms Stocks and Correlates with Gold Precisely When It Matters Most

The price of Bitcoin surged 26% this month to around $79,200, outperforming gold (up 13.8%) and major stock indices. More importantly, its 30-day correlation with gold has risen to +0.81, indicating strong tandem movement, while its correlation with the US Dollar Index has deepened to -0.86, showing it moves opposite to the dollar. This highlights Bitcoin's appeal as a store of value and a hedge against fiscal and monetary concerns. Amid worries over the U.S. budget situation, which pushed long-term Treasury yields to multi-decade highs, traders anticipate the Federal Reserve may need to intervene by buying bonds. Bitcoin's price chart shows a bullish shift, with the 50-day moving average rising above the 100-day line and approaching a potential "golden cross" with the 200-day average. This suggests further price gains, though immediate resistance is seen around $82,814. The inability to sustainably hold above $80,000 this week indicates a possible deeper pullback before the next upward move.

cryptonews.ruHace 1 hora(s)

Bitcoin Outperforms Stocks and Correlates with Gold Precisely When It Matters Most

cryptonews.ruHace 1 hora(s)

Ripple (XRP) Company Announces Plans for Major Future Update

Ripple (XRP) has announced a four-phase plan to prepare the XRP Ledger (XRPL) for future security threats posed by quantum computers. The company's senior director of engineering stated the goal is to build necessary infrastructure before quantum computers become a direct threat, aiming to minimize impact on existing systems, user assets, and network operations. The plan begins with identifying potential quantum vulnerabilities within XRPL, followed by testing quantum-resistant cryptographic methods. The next phase involves parallel testing of existing security mechanisms and new quantum-resistant solutions to ensure reliability and prevent disruption for users and applications. The final phase would involve transitioning the XRPL to more comprehensive, quantum-resistant security standards if the technology matures. Ripple is also developing contingency plans for a faster-than-expected advancement of quantum computing, which could accelerate the transition timeline. A current XRPL feature allowing users to change the keys controlling their accounts without altering the accounts themselves is seen as a potential advantage in any future migration. However, Ripple cannot unilaterally change transaction validation rules or network-wide cryptographic standards; such updates require coordination and approval from independent validators via XRPL's governance process. While quantum computers are not yet capable of breaking the cryptography used by major blockchains like Bitcoin or XRPL, developers across the industry are already evaluating transition scenarios to quantum-resistant algorithms due to the long-term risks they pose to public-key cryptography.

cryptonews.ruHace 1 hora(s)

Ripple (XRP) Company Announces Plans for Major Future Update

cryptonews.ruHace 1 hora(s)

Ethereum-ETFs Set New Annual Record, SOL- and XRP-ETFs Attract Hundreds of Millions: Weekly Summary

Summary of ETF Capital Flows (August 24-28, 2026): U.S. spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs collectively attracted $1.75 billion, according to SoSoValue. * **Ethereum-ETFs** saw a major influx of $824.42 million, marking their strongest week since October 2025 and a new annual high for 2026. BlackRock's ETHA led with $567.03 million. * **Bitcoin-ETFs** attracted $924.48 million, with four of five trading sessions positive. BlackRock's IBIT was the top performer, gathering $938.32 million. * **Other Notable ETFs**: Solana (SOL) ETFs attracted $153.87 million, their best week since launching in October 2025. XRP ETFs drew $110.49 million, setting a new 2026 weekly record. Positive flows were also seen in HYPE, LINK, HBAR, and DOGE ETFs.

cryptonews.ruHace 1 hora(s)

Ethereum-ETFs Set New Annual Record, SOL- and XRP-ETFs Attract Hundreds of Millions: Weekly Summary

cryptonews.ruHace 1 hora(s)

Bitcoin ETFs Halt 9-Day Inflow Streak with $202 Million Outflow, While Ethereum Attracts $102 Million

Bitcoin ETFs experienced a net outflow of $202 million on August 28th, ending a nine-day streak of net inflows that had totaled approximately $3.04 billion and pushed the group's total net assets above $100 billion. This daily outflow marks a reversal from the recent trend, with notable outflows from Fidelity's FBTC and Grayscale's GBTC funds on the 27th, while iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) saw significant inflows. Bitcoin ETFs had previously recorded a nine-day outflow streak in May, showing the market's volatility. In contrast, spot Ethereum ETFs extended their net inflow streak to ten consecutive days, attracting $102 million. This follows a period of strong support for Ether funds, which saw their highest weekly inflow since October earlier in August, largely driven by Blackrock's ETHA. The Bitcoin outflow coincided with a price drop from over $80,200 to around $77,500. Analysts suggest the single-day ETF sell-off may represent profit-taking rather than panic, especially given the expiration of approximately $6.4 billion in Bitcoin options. Market observers will monitor subsequent sessions to determine if this outflow is a temporary interruption or the start of a new trend, while Ether funds begin the new week continuing their positive run.

cryptonews.ruHace 1 hora(s)

Bitcoin ETFs Halt 9-Day Inflow Streak with $202 Million Outflow, While Ethereum Attracts $102 Million

cryptonews.ruHace 1 hora(s)

Trading

Spot