Haliey Welch, famously known as the viral “Hawk Tuah girl,” has landed in hot water after YouTube investigator Stephen “Coffeezilla” confronted her on a live stream about the controversial launch of the $HAWK meme coin.
The coin launched on the Solana blockchain on December 4, 2024. However, it has been accused of insider trading and a “rug pull” scheme. The $HAWK coin’s value plummeted from $500 million to $60 million within 20 minutes of its debut, causing fury among investors.
The rapid decline raised concerns among investors, with some accusing Welch and her team of executing a rug pull—where creators sell off their coins, causing prices to crash and leaving investors with worthless assets.
During the confrontation, Coffeezilla accused Welch and her team of being behind the suspicious activity surrounding the coin’s launch.
Speaking directly to Welch, Coffeezilla remarked, “This is one of the most miserable, horrible launches I’ve ever seen. I’ve been tracing it on the chain for a while. You guys generated over a million dollars in fees, while your fans got rug pulled. There were snipers, but there was also insider trading directly linked to y’all’s creator accounts.”
Welch posted on X, defending her actions regarding the HAWK memecoin launch. She stated that neither her team nor any Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) were given free tokens, and that they tried to prevent snipers by setting high fees during the initial launch on Meteora.
Suspicious activity surrounding the HAWK token’s launch has sparked serious concerns, with blockchain data from Bubblemaps revealing that insiders initially controlled 96% of the token’s supply.
While that figure has since decreased to 79%, the data fueled allegations of market manipulation. Critics have accused the HAWK team of stealing $2 million, turning investor profits into significant losses.
Social media has been flooded with claims of insider trading and unethical practices, intensifying the controversy surrounding the token’s dramatic rise and fall.
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