‘Hawk Tuah Girl’ Hailey Welch Asserts SEC and FBI Have Cleared Her in the HAWK Memecoin Incident

Haliey Welch, who gained recognition as “Hawk Tuah Girl,” is now moving away from the failed HAWK memecoin that was launched last December. This shift is notable given her previous assertions that the token was a compliant, fan-oriented initiative she was enthusiastic about supporting.

In the latest episode of her Talk Tuah podcast, Welch revealed that she faced inquiries from the FBI and surrendered her phone to the SEC, clarifying that she was eventually found to be innocent of any wrongdoing.

“They reviewed my phone, confirming I was cleared. I was in the clear,” she stated. “If only we had known then what we understand now.” She distanced herself from direct blame, portraying herself as an unsuspecting participant: “I don’t have anything to conceal.”

However, Welch’s recent statements — expressing her lack of understanding of cryptocurrency and her discomfort that fans placed their trust in her — sharply contrast with her initial launch announcement in November 2024.

During that period, she expressed her enthusiasm about being involved in meme culture and remarked on how much she had gained from collaborating with partners to introduce $HAWK.

The token, which debuted on Solana, initially soared to a market cap of $491 million before rapidly decreasing to under $100 million within hours. Welch’s team asserted that the project was legally sound and supported by a foundation in the Cayman Islands, specifying that her tokens would gradually vest over a three-year period.

Welch later asserted that while early estimates of user losses reached as high as $1.2 million, the actual figure is around $180,000.

Nevertheless, records from Solscan indicate there are still 10,149 token holders, many of whom have not sold their tokens, meaning those losses were never actualized. The $180,000 estimate does not account for these holders.

Listeners of her podcast appear skeptical of her narrative.

“She acknowledges that she lacked knowledge but still chose to endorse and promote it?” questioned one commenter on YouTube. “You shouldn’t have affiliated yourself with something you didn’t comprehend,” remarked another.

Since its peak in December, HAWK prices have plummeted by 99%, with a mere market capitalization of $104,000 as of Tuesday morning.