Hawk Tuah Girl Breaks Silence on Crypto 'Scam' as She Faces Lawsuit

Haliey Welch, better known as “the Hawk Tuah Girl,” has broken her silence as she faces lawsuits related to an alleged “crypto scam” regarding her Hawk Tuah NFT.

“I take this situation extremely seriously and want to address my fans, the investors who have been affected, and the broader community,” Welch wrote in a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Dec. 20. “I am fully cooperating with and am committed to assisting the legal team representing the individuals impacted, as well as to help uncover the truth, hold the responsible parties accountable, and resolve this matter,” she continued. “If you have experienced losses related to this, please contact Burwick Law using the link below: https://burwick.law/newclient. @BurwickLaw,” the statement concluded.

Welch remained silent for more than two weeks following the collapse of her HAWK cryptocoin just a day after it launched on Dec. 4. In the moments after it launched, HAWK momentarily soared to a 500 percent increase from its starting price, which brought it to its market cap of $490 million just minutes after its debut. But 24 hours later, the market was singing a different tune. By the next morning, HAWK’s market cap had collapsed to $29.1 million as regulators began identifying “irregularities” in the memecoin’s control.

Related: The 'Hawk Tuah' Girl Is Raking in Money With Merchandise Sales

“We don’t want to break securities laws,” Welch's manager, Jonnie Forster, told Fortune prior to the release. “We would say that we’re almost, like, tokenizing, in a sense, Hailey’s fan base.”

Many of Welch’s followers sounded off in the comments section, ribbing the influencer about how long it took her to respond to the allegations. “Holy s--t, you finally woke up,” one fan joked. Others took the matter more seriously. “I think she was fooled by someone but she seems to be taking the right steps,” one commenter mused. “Number one rule in life: Don’t trust financial advice from a girl called “Hawk Tuah,” another advised Welch’s fans.

She has risen! ???? pic.twitter.com/DnYLkZLTZj

— GLOBAL MEDIA NETWORK (@GMNCEO) December 20, 2024