White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez has been ordered to pay a total of $172,000 after placing online wagers tied to the timing of President Trump‘s speeches, the federal regulator said. The CFTC published the enforcement action on Friday, saying Perez must return profits derived from the trades.
The agency specified that Perez must pay out his trading profits, which amounted to $107,539.02. The CFTC’s public notice sets the total financial obligation in the matter at roughly $172,000, a sum that includes the required disgorgement and additional monetary measures described in the order.
The CFTC enforces federal commodity and derivatives rules and has cited trading tied to discrete public events as within its oversight. The case involved wagers placed on outcomes connected to remarks by President Trump, an activity that drew the regulator’s scrutiny because of the nature of the markets and the timing of the trades relative to the public events.
The notice makes clear the agency has concluded its review in this instance and prescribed monetary remedies. The action highlights the CFTC’s continuing attention to event-driven trading across online platforms and the obligations it can impose on market participants, including individuals working within federal institutions such as the White House.
