Libra scandal: forensic experts link messages by Javier Milei to memecoin promoters minutes before launch

Argentine forensic experts have detected coordinated communications between President Javier Milei, his sister Karina, and the lobbyists and promoters of the Libra memecoin that collapsed shortly after the token went live, according to Argentine media outlet La Nación.

Official forensic analysis of lobbyist Mauricio Novelli’s devices shows Milei and Novelli exchanged at least five messages on February 14, 2025, around 7:01 PM Argentine time — the exact moment Milei posted the Libra contract code to X, according to La Nación.

At the time, Novelli was in the US with his business partner Manuel Terrones Godoy and the main man behind the Libra operation, Hayden Davis.

The communications went “in both directions,” which suggests Milei initiated messages to Novelli, revealing a “fluid back-and-forth” between the Argentine head of state and the lobbyist, reported La Nación.

The report adds another chapter to the scandal that started in February 2025 when Milei promoted a memecoin dubbed Libra and posted a contract code on X that allowed people to buy the token.

The token launched, surged briefly, then collapsed to zero within hours, which left thousands of investors with losses, and millions in profits to the memecoin’s creators.

The incident triggered congressional investigations and criminal probes into whether the Argentine president knowingly participated in a crypto scam.

Milei has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Jony Viale interview

The forensic findings show that Novelli acted as the “central node” of communications between the memecoin’s promoters and those in Argentina, according to La Nación.

He exchanged messages with both Milei and Milei’s sister, who also exercises the role of chief of staff.

Notably, the analysis also shows that Novelli helped to coordinate Milei’s media response in the aftermath of the scandal, according to La Nación.

He and Milei discussed what the president would say — and omit — in a widely televised interview with pro-Milei journalist Jony Viale, according to La Nación.

They “exchanged ideas and suggestions about what to respond and what to keep quiet,” sources told La Nación.

In that interview, Milei claimed he had simply copied the Libra contract code from the internet and posted it to X. But experts who testified under oath before Congress confirmed the contract code was not publicly available online at 7:01 PM when Milei posted it.

Milei’s office didn’t immediately return a request for comment to DL News.

Pedro Solimano is a markets correspondent based in Buenos Aires. Got a tip? Email him at psolimano@dlnews.com.