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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Guardian staff and agency

Melania Trump’s meme coin architects accused of pump-and-dump fraud in lawsuit

Melania Trump Donald Trump United States Lawsuit Meteora Crypto
a woman speaks into a microphone
Melania Trump speaks in Washington DC on 10 October 2025. Photograph: Andrew Leyden/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock

The designers of a cryptocurrency launched by the US first lady, Melania Trump, in January were accused in court filings on Tuesday of orchestrating a pump-and-dump scheme.

The $MELANIA coins were released for just a few cents each on 19 January, the day before Donald Trump was inaugurated as US president. In addition to $MELANIA, Donald Trump launched $TRUMP a few hours before his inauguration.

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