Argentina seeks arrest of U.S. crypto figure tied to Melania and Milei cryptocurrencies

Ben Weiss

An Argentine prosecutor asked a judge on Thursday to issue an Interpol “Red Notice”—a sweeping arrest request—for Hayden Davis, who claims to be behind the launch of a memecoin that has <a href="https://fortune.com/crypto/2025/02/18/javier-milei-memecoin-libra-cryptocurrency-crash-argentina-federal-judge-investigation/?asdsds">ensnared</a> Argentine president Javier Milei in a political scandal, and another coin tied to First Lady Melania Trump.<div class="paywall-selector"></div><div class="paywall">



“I’m here to request the immediate detention of Hayden Mark Davis, a citizen of the United States, who is accused of being one of the principal actors behind the launch of the cryptocurrency $LIBRA,” wrote Gregorio Dalbón in a court document seen by Fortune.



Interpol, short for the International Criminal Police Organization, is an intergovernmental law enforcement organization. It counts 196 countries as members, including the U.S. and Argentina, according to its website. A “Red Notice” is a request for authorities abroad to arrest and detain someone wanted for legal action in a member country.



“The possibility that Davis will abandon his country of residence or hide to avoid answering for his alleged acts appears to be aggravated by the economic resources he possesses, which he can use to move or remain in hiding, hindering our investigation,” wrote Dalbón, who told Fortune he is waiting for a response from the judge.



Hayden did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His brother Gideon and his father Charles, who worked with Hayden in their family crypto business called Kelsier Ventures, also did not respond to a request for comment.



Dalbón’s threat of an Interpol “Red Notice” for Hayden is the latest in a drama that has captured the attention of Argentina’s media and its political elite.



On Valentine’s Day, Milei, a libertarian populist who often mirrors President Donald Trump in his inflammatory rhetoric, endorsed a memecoin called LIBRA. His endorsement came after Trump, who has styled himself as a pro-crypto president and recently <a href="https://fortune.com/crypto/2025/03/06/president-donald-trump-signs-bitcoin-reserve-digital-asset-stockpile-executive-order/">authorized</a> the creation of a strategic <a href="https://www.binance.com/en/price/bitcoin">Bitcoin</a> reserve, launched his own memecoin in January. Trump’s cryptocurrency was characteristically called <a href="https://www.binance.com/en/price/official-trump">TRUMP</a>.



After Milei endorsed his own memecoin, its value skyrocketed to a total market capitalization of more than $4.5 billion, according to the crypto analytics tool DEX Screener. But LIBRA’s price soon plummeted, and it’s now fallen more than 99% to about $18 million.



Blockchain analysts discovered that insiders, who held tokens before Milei endorsed the memecoin, sold large stashes shortly after he posted about LIBRA. Hayden soon copped to helping Milei launch his token. “I am indeed Javier Milei’s advisor,” he said in a <a href="https://x.com/KelsierVentures/status/1890914579493863532">post</a> on X. He also claimed to be behind the launch of Melania&#8217;s <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98y47vrv2jo">memecoin</a>.



Just days after LIBRA&#8217;s launch, a federal judge in Argentina opened an investigation into Milei. Both Milei and Hayden have denied wrongdoing.</div>

Hayden Adams claimed to be one of the key actors behind the launch of Javier Milei’s memecoin in February.

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