Kalshi warns users after CFTC fines White House staffer $65,000

The CFTC ordered White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez to disgorge $107,539.02 in trading profits. Perez must also pay a $65,000 civil monetary penalty. Perez received a three-year trading ban. Perez had bet on Trump's speech text before the president read it aloud. The CFTC said exemplary cooperation substantially reduced Perez's fine. Kalshi flagged Perez's account and sent the case to Washington. Perez did not self-report and spoke with investigators only after they contacted him. A CFTC policy issued in May reserves the deepest discounts for people who report themselves first. Perez's order does not identify the discount tier he received. In July, the CFTC fined former congressman George Santos $17,500 and clawed back $17,569.98. Santos and Perez both received three-year bans. Their orders were issued 28 days apart. Kalshi enforcement chief Robert DeNault warned users that violating Kalshi's rules or federal law would bring consequences. CME Group chief Terry Duffy had raised the case eight days earlier during a dispute over prediction markets. Duffy argued that US-listed event contracts can be manipulated. CFTC Chairman Michael Selig called the examples offshore. Perez traded on a US exchange regulated by the CFTC, and Kalshi identified his activity.