"Hawk Tuah Girl" Explains Her Meme Coin Disaster

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FBI Knocked, SEC Called: "Hawk Tuah Girl" Explains Her Meme Coin Disaster

Written by Aaron S.,

Editor-In-Chief

Last Updated: May 21, 2025

Key Takeaways

Haliey Welch says the FBI showed up at her grandma’s house after her meme coin launch;
Both the FBI and SEC cleared Welch of wrongdoing after briefly investigating the HAWK token;
Welch claims she didn’t profit from the coin and blames a third party for handling the promotions.

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FBI Knocked, SEC Called: "Hawk Tuah Girl" Explains Her Meme Coin Disaster

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Haliey Welch, also known as the "Hawk Tuah Girl", has shared that she was investigated by US authorities following the launch of Hawk Tuah (HAWK) meme coin, a project many in the crypto community have described as a scam.

In an episode of her Talk Tuah podcast released on May 21, Welch said the FBI visited her grandmother’s house asking to speak with her about the HAWK token.

Welch said her grandmother called her in distress after the agents arrived unannounced. She met with them after and handed over her phone. She explained, "They interrogated me, asking me questions and everything else related to crypto".

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In the end, Welch said the FBI cleared her and did not find her at fault.

She also mentioned that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requested her phone for a few days. Her lawyer later confirmed to TMZ that the SEC ended its inquiry without accusing her of wrongdoing or asking for any payments.

Welch admitted she did not know much about crypto before the HAWK token launch. She said she had trusted a group she could not publicly name due to legal reasons. According to her, this group controlled her X account and posted promotional videos that she had been instructed to record.

Additionally, Welch said she did not profit from the token launch. She received a marketing fee, but said the money was spent entirely on legal and PR expenses.

In a May 2 interview with Vanity Fair, Welch spoke about her role in the HAWK token controversy. What did she say? Read the full story.