$HAWK Token Fraud: Hailey Welch Named in $325,000 Lawsuit

- Influencer Welch implicated in alleged memecoin pump-and-dump scheme. - $HAWK token lost 90-95% of its value after hitting $500 million market cap. On December 18, 2025, CoinDesk reported that an amended lawsuit now names influencer Hailey Welch as a new defendant. The lawsuit concerns the alleged fraudulent launch of the $HAWK memecoin. The token's value collapsed by 90-95% after its market capitalization peaked at approximately $500 million. Plaintiffs restructured the original complaint, filed in December 2024, after new evidence emerged from an informant, including leaked chat logs. These documents reportedly implicate Welch and a network of individuals in a coordinated pump-and-dump scheme that led to $HAWK’s collapse. Blockchain forensic investigations have identified wallets tied to the incident and established connections to prior schemes involving the $LIBRA, $M3M3, and $AIAI tokens. Meteora CEO Ben Chow allegedly spearheaded these operations using his company's platform. The updated court filing significantly expands the roster of defendants. In addition to Welch, the filing names her manager Jonnie Forster, Forster’s company 16 Minutes LLC, Meteora, Ben Chow, prominent influencer Solana Sweeper, Memetic Labs, and Dynamic Labs Limited. The lawsuit accuses Welch of receiving over $325,000 in payments to promote $HAWK. This amount consisted of $125,000 paid upfront and $200,000 contingent on achieving promotional milestones. Plaintiffs argue these transactions constitute unjust enrichment and allege Welch knowingly participated in a coordinated fraud scheme. Further allegations against the defendants include breach of contract, securities law violations, false advertising, and common law fraud. The plaintiffs contend that the $HAWK launch followed a meticulously planned “on-chain roadmap for fraud,” from pre-sale allocations to liquidity management. Since the $HAWK crash, Welch has largely refrained from addressing the allegations publicly. She briefly broke her silence in late December 2024 to announce her willingness to cooperate with investigators before retreating from the public eye. In 2025, she made limited appearances, including at VidCon and during a Vanity Fair interview, where she provided minimal commentary on the controversy.