Viral social media star Haliey Welch says the SEC is closing their investigation into her Hawk Tuah crypto meme coin. The woman behind the “hawk-tuah” meme tells TMZ that the investigation is over, and she has been cooperating with the SEC for months.
JUST IN: "Hawk Tuah" girl Haliey Welch says SEC closed its investigation into her crypto meme coin that crashed 95% hours after launch.
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) March 28, 2025
She says they will not pursue any charges or monetary sanctions. pic.twitter.com/RNxzf6IDjb
“For the past few months, I’ve been cooperating with all the authorities and attorneys, and finally, that work is complete,” she told TMZ this week. The HAWK meme coin crashed by 95% hours after launch, with some suggesting the meme coin was a rug-pull ploy. The coin reached a market capitalization of nearly $500 million before plummeting to $25 million. Investors lost thousands of dollars after investing in the coin and sending its value surging before it crashed.
Hawk Tuah Meme Coin Investigation is Over
The suit alleged the creators behind the coin were negligent because they didn’t get approval to launch the coin. Haliey’s attorney James Sallah says, “The SEC closed the investigation without making any findings against, or seeking any monetary sanctions from, Haliey. Because they did not bring any action against her, there are no restrictions on what she can do in regards to crypto or securities in the future.” Sources tell TMZ that she’s parted ways with the LLC behind the coin, and she won’t be supporting or promoting it going forward.
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Haliey herself says she’s “Happy to be starting back up again.” However, she didn’t confirm whether starting back up involves getting back into the cryptocurrency industry. Similar incidents have happened with popular celebrities in the past, notably in the NFT realm. Welch shortly disappeared from social media after launching the Hawk Tuah meme coin and her podcast Talk Tuah.” TMZ even suggests that there’s a Hawk Tuah documentary in the works.
The SEC has not commented on Welch’s claim that the investigation into the Hawk Tuah (HAWK) meme coin was dismissed. However, the regulator has made several decisions around dismissing crypto investigations and lawsuits over the past month. These include big exchanges like Binance and Ripple.