CFTC orders White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez to pay about $172,000 after online trading tied to Trump speeches

A federal regulator has ordered Gabriel Perez, identified in a news report as a White House teleprompter operator, to pay a total of $172,000 after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said he placed online bets tied to President Donald Trump’s speeches. The order, described by The Hill, was issued by the CFTC and includes both disgorgement of trading profits and civil penalties.

According to The Hill’s account, the CFTC said Perez must pay out $107,539.02 in profits from trading, in addition to a civil monetary component that brings the total payment obligation to $172,000. The CFTC’s statement, as characterized by the report, centers on the allegation that Perez used nonpublic information connected to the preparation or delivery of Trump remarks to influence the timing or outcome of trades.

The dispute involves markets and enforcement under U.S. commodities law, with the CFTC acting in its civil enforcement capacity. The regulator has previously used its authority to pursue alleged insider trading and market manipulation involving futures, options, and related derivatives. In this case, the complaint is specifically tied to trading activity connected to speeches, according to the reporting.

Because the provided materials do not include the CFTC’s underlying order, complaint, or full text of the regulator’s allegations, some specifics about what information the CFTC said was misused, what trades were made, and what exact statutory provisions were cited cannot be independently confirmed here. The story therefore relies on the CFTC payment figures and the general characterization reported by The Hill.

The practical effect of the order is straightforward: Perez would be required to pay the specified amount, which the regulator framed as disgorgement plus penalties. Such payments are intended to deprive a respondent of alleged ill-gotten gains and to deter similar conduct, while also supporting the CFTC’s role in protecting market integrity.

Next steps would typically include confirmation of whether Perez complies with the payment terms and whether he seeks to challenge the enforcement action through available administrative or judicial review channels. Any longer-term implications for White House processes would depend on the specific findings in the CFTC’s order, including what the regulator determined about the access, handling, and classification status of information at issue.

The episode also highlights how speech-related events can become linked to trading activity, and how federal agencies may treat certain access privileges as potentially sensitive if they are alleged to be used to gain an advantage in markets. Where allegations hinge on nonpublic information, the case record, including the regulator’s specific findings, becomes central to understanding the scope of conduct at issue.