Haliey Welch breaks silence on failed Hawk Tuah crypto coin and FBI investigation
Haliey Welch, best known as the viral 'Hawk Tuah Girl,' has broken her silence about the failed launch of her namesake cryptocurrency, $HAWK, saying she had no knowledge of crypto and was misled into promoting the coin.
In a recent episode of her Talking Tuah podcast, Welch said, 'I couldn't tell you how crypto worked the day that coin launched… I got talked into it and trusted the wrong people.'
Finally Sharing my Side
Tune in tomorrow at 12 PM CST pic.twitter.com/0cKMi2sd0E — Hailey Welch (@Hay_welcch) May 20, 2025
The Solana-based meme coin briefly skyrocketed to a $500 million market cap after launching in December 2024 but quickly became worthless, prompting investigations by the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Welch explained that during this time, her legal team advised her to stop broadcasting and cooperate with authorities. 'They interrogated me… They went through my phone. So they cleared me,' she said, confirming she was never named in the ongoing class action lawsuit.
Welch emphasized that she earned only a marketing fee and made no profit from the coin's rise and fall. 'All the money I got went to PR, lawyers—everything. I came out with nothing,' she added. She also expressed remorse for fans who lost money, saying, 'It makes me feel really bad that they trusted me.'
Following the coin's crash, Welch received threats and even had FBI agents show up at her grandmother's house. Despite the trauma, she said she has been fully cleared and is ready to move forward. 'It was definitely scary… but legally, I wasn't in any trouble. It was just a big mess.'
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