Hawk Tuah Girl Cleared by SEC, FBI in Memecoin Debacle—Because Nothing Says ’Legitimacy’ Like Regulatory Rubber Stamps

Hailey Welch—better known as ’Hawk Tuah Girl’—just dodged the regulatory bullet. The SEC and FBI reportedly gave her the all-clear after the HAWK memecoin imploded, leaving bagholders squawking.

How’d she pull it off? Details are thinner than a memecoin’s utility, but Welch claims full exoneration. Meanwhile, traders are left wondering if ’cleared’ just means ’not worth prosecuting.’

Another day, another crypto circus. At least this one came with a meme-worthy mascot.

What to know

• Haliey Welch, known as "Hawk Tuah Girl," claims she was cleared by the FBI and SEC regarding the failed HAWK memecoin.

• Welch now distances herself from the project, stating she didn’t understand cryptocurrency despite her initial enthusiasm.

• The HAWK token’s market cap plummeted from $491 million to under $100 million, with current losses estimated at $180K.

Haliey Welch, better known as “Hawk Tuah Girl,” is now distancing herself from last December’s failed HAWK memecoin — despite previously calling it a fully compliant, fan-focused token she was proud to launch.

In a new episode of her Talk Tuah podcast, Welch claimed she was questioned by the FBI and handed over her phone to the SEC, but was ultimately “cleared” of wrongdoing.

“They went through my phone, so they cleared me. I was good to go,” she said. “I wish we knew then what we know now.” She also dodged direct responsibility, instead framing herself as an unwitting pawn: “I don’t have anything to hide.”

But Welch’s latest comments — claiming she didn’t understand crypto and felt “sick” that fans trusted her — stand in sharp contrast to her original announcement in November 2024.

At the time, Welch said she was “excited to be part of meme culture” and had “learned so much” while working with launch partners to bring $HAWK to life.

The token, which launched on Solana, briefly hit a $491 million market cap before plunging below $100 million in hours. Welch’s team claimed the project was legally compliant and backed by a Cayman foundation, and said her tokens WOULD vest over three years.

Welch claims user losses are far lower

She went on to claim that while initially customer losses were estimated to be as high as $1.2 million, the real loss figure stands at $180,000.

However, there are still 10,149 token holders according to Solscan and many of those holders never sold thus losses were never realized. The $180,000 figure does not include those holders.

Commentators on her podcast aren’t buying the story.

“She admits that she didn’t know anything about it but decided to endorse it anyway and promote it?” one YouTube comment read. “You should have never attached yourself to something you didn’t understand,” another said.

HAWK prices are down 99% since its December peak, sitting at a tiny $104,000 market capitalization as of Tuesday morning.