‘She better talk tuah lawyer!’: Could Hawk Tuah girl Hailey Welch go to jail?

Hailey Welch, better known as Hawk Tuah Girl, is facing criticism after the launch of her cryptocurrency, the Memecoin $HAWK. Facing the ire of those who call themselves fans is one thing, but could Welch also be facing time in prison? 

One may read the above sentence and think that releasing a Memecoin is a crime in itself, but no, Welch was legally in the clear. It’s also not a crime to capitalize off of becoming an internet meme yourself, something Welch has been doing since a clip of her giving advice on how to please a man in bed went viral earlier this year. “Oh, you gotta give him that Hawk Tuah and spit on that thing,” she told Tim&DeeTV during a street interview that’s now been watched millions of times over. That candor landed her an agent, a podcast, and now, potentially in hot water.

Memecoins are often favored by celebrities entering the crypto space, as evidenced by high-profile launches from Iggy Azalea, Jason Derulo, and Caitlyn Jenner. Seasoned crypto investors eye these launches with scepticism.

At best, celebrity Memecoins are a well-intentioned attempt at exploring a moneymaking avenue the celebrity knows little about, and at worst, a cash grab meant to exploit fans through a “pump-and-dump” or “rug pull” scheme. Jenner is facing a lawsuit alleging she willfully misled JENNER investors through one such scheme herself. Could Welch face similar legal action? 

The likelihood of Hawk Tuah Girl going to jail is low, but not zero 

It’s unlikely Welch will face consequences aside from being run off the internet for pulling one over on her investors. Still, “she better ‘talk tuah’ lawyer,” as she could face lawsuits for launching what appears to be a blatant crypto scam. 

Welch defended her decision to launch her own coin, telling Fortune that it isn’t “just a cash grab” hours before $HAWK was made available to the public. The coin’s value rose astronomically at launch before immediately collapsing by over 95% mere hours after it was launched, a tell-tale sign of a “rug pull.” “Rug pull” schemes, so known as “pump-and-dumps,” are crypto launches where the creators behind the coin drive up hype for a launch, only to sell their holdings at an inflated price while innocent investors lose money. 

Internet sleuths put the pieces together quickly. YouTuber Stephen Findeisen, better known as crypto crime investigator Coffeezilla, compiled evidence of wrongdoing after attending an event held by Welch on X Spaces. The influencer and her team held a Q&A to ostensibly address investor concerns, but it amounted mostly to a man known as Doc Hollywood finding ways to shift blame and maintain the team’s innocence.

“This is one of the most miserable, horrible launches I’ve ever seen in my life,” Findeisen said when given the chance to speak. He asked who benefited from the coin’s exorbitant fees — “Do you know how much it costs for lawyer fees to create a foundation in the Cayman Islands?” came the response — and pointed to blockchain analyst Bubblemaps’s discovery that 96% of Welch’s coin was in one cluster of related wallets as evidence of a “pump-and-dump.” The call ended when Welch abruptly announced she was going to bed. 

Aside from Welch’s lawyer giving statements to Coffeezilla, the influencer has kept silent since the X Spaces event. Perhaps she’s following her lawyer’s advice to maintain a low profile. Perhaps she’s still sleeping. At any rate, being the face of a crypto scheme isn’t enough to land her in prison. However, if she orchestrated the project, she could face fraud charges. The unregulated nature of crypto lends itself to exploitative money-making schemes, but the U.S. has seen an uptick in crypto fraud charges. If the DOJ decides to make an example of Welch, she might have to “‘talk tuah’ judge” next.