Crypto Scam Exposed: Chats Reveal Javier Milei’s Involvement in Lobbying, Favor Trading, and Million-Dollar Deals

Original article: Criptoestafa: chats exponen a Milei en trama de lobby, favores y negocios millonarios

A recent development intensifies the institutional and political crisis surrounding the cryptocurrency $LIBRA, which collapsed, resulting in millions lost for investors. Contrary to the official narrative that positions Argentina’s President, Javier Milei, as merely a «disseminator» detached from the business dealings, a series of digital forensic investigations conducted on the cellphone of Mauricio Novelli—the Argentine trader acting as the link between the president and American businessmen—uncover a web of lobbying, personal favors, and lucrative agreements centered around the Casa Rosada and the Quinta de Olivos.

The scandal began on February 14, 2025, when the «libertarian» leader promoted the cryptocurrency through his social media as a private project aimed at boosting Argentina’s economy. However, just hours later, he deleted the posts and stated that he had no ties to the project, claiming that he preferred not to continue promoting it after learning more.

During that window, the demand for the cryptocurrency skyrocketed, with its price surging from $0.003 to $5.54, resulting in millions in transactions before it crashed. Over 100,000 crypto buyers reported being victims of a massive scam, losing astronomical sums exceeding $286 million, spurred by the message issued by the «libertarian» while a select few reaped fortunes—an operation that has led to legal actions in the United States and Australia amid suspicions of a significant transnational fraud.

The technical reports from the General Directorate of Investigations and Technological Support for Criminal Investigations (DATIP), which Página/12 accessed, not only confirm the existence of dozens of deleted calls and messages between the Argentine head of state, his sister and presidential secretary Karina Milei, and Novelli, but also contain screenshots of chats and voice notes where the crypto entrepreneur boasts of having physical access to the presidential phone to manipulate its social media.

«Tomorrow I will see Milei. And I will take his phone to give him a retweet,» Novelli bragged in a WhatsApp group, a promise he fulfilled the very next day, certifying his success with a message of «mission accomplished.»

The revelations, to be presented this Monday by opposition lawmakers in the Congressional Investigative Commission, paint a picture of operations where officials from the National Securities Commission (CNV) acted as event organizers to bring business to the government. In this setting, the extreme-right president appeared front and center in the interests of a family of crypto entrepreneurs who, following the currency’s collapse, admitted to possessing «$100 million of the Argentines’ money».

«I’ll take Milei’s phone to give him a retweet»

The story of the fraud’s inception finds a central chapter in the Tech Forum, a private meeting on technology and cryptocurrencies held in September 2024 at the Hotel Libertador, where Javier Milei was the keynote speaker. What had previously been considered just another conference is now revealed through forensic analysis as a hub for operations and lobbying.

In a WhatsApp group created to organize the event, a key figure led the discussions: Sergio Morales, at that time an advisor to the National Securities Commission (CNV), the agency responsible for overseeing the capital markets.

Messages from September 16 show Morales, identified as «Sergio Crypto City», giving precise instructions on the image they needed to project of Milei.

«Guys, I need the post as the main speaker of Javier. Tomi, we need this ASAP (SIC). It would be great to have an image of him speaking at a conference with an audience; it has to be an epic post,» Morales wrote, clearly revealing his active role in the communication strategy of the event.

However, the response that would shatter the narrative of the «libertarian» administration came from Novelli, who, in response to his partners’ urgency to coordinate the tweet, launched a line that now echoes as a confession: «All this is Tomi because tomorrow I am seeing Milei. And I will take his phone for a retweet».

Far from being an isolated remark, the action was realized. The next day, on September 17, forensic evidence shows Novelli reporting the success of his endeavor in the same group.

«Done. Mission accomplished. Now let’s show everyone, and they can suck it (SIC). Let’s see if they doubt us again. Hdmp. Moreover, on Friday, I’m going to take a photo with him giving a kiss,» he wrote.

Morales’ response, demonstrating the casualness with which these connections were managed, was: «I’m going to get jealous».

In that same thread, another participant shared the official tweet with the event flyer, showcasing Milei’s image at a carefully selected angle to hide his double chin.

«Tech Forum Argentina. #MAIN SPEAKER JAVIER MILEI President of the Argentine Nation,» the message stated.

Connection Between Milei, Novelli, and the Davis Lobby

The Tech Forum was more than a conference; it solidified the ties between the «libertarian» red circle and the Davis family. In the front row of the event, applauding Milei, were American Hayden Davis, his brother Gideon, and their father Tom, owners of Kelsier Ventures, which reportedly was behind the creation of $LIBRA.

However, the connection between Novelli and Milei dates back much further. The relationship started in 2021 when Milei taught at Novelli’s trading academy (N&W Professional Traders), making thousands from his courses.

«I’ve known Novelli for many years. At one point, I taught a class in his academy called Money, Prices, and Exchange Rates,» Milei himself acknowledged, trying to downplay their relationship.

Nonetheless, the DATIP investigations contradict that minimalist version, confirming that the president was a «public figure» who provided support to Novelli and finding records of video calls and meetings with Karina Milei since April 2021.

This closeness translated into institutional access. According to records, Novelli entered the Casa Rosada ten times throughout 2024—twice on the same day—and visited the Quinta de Olivos four times.

The meetings on January 29 and 30, 2025, constitute key evidence for the investigation. On the first day, Novelli attended with his sister, María Pía Novelli—the same one who emptied her safe after the scandal. The following day, the entourage included his partner Manuel Terrones Godoy and Hayden Davis. On that day, Milei and the American took a photo together, which the president posted on his social media, and Kelsier Ventures re-shared it.

«Today, I had a very interesting meeting with businessman Hayden Mark Davis, who was advising me on the impact of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence applications in the country,» the libertarian noted in the publication shared on his social media on January 30, mirroring a contractual tone:

The $5 Million Contract: ‘Fee for a Tweet’

The most significant revelation from the forensic analyses—and the evidence the opposition will present—is a document found in Novelli’s cellphone notes. It’s a text written by the trader that he later attempted to delete, but experts from DATIP managed to recover, appearing to be a payment agreement for $5 million, with Javier Milei as the main beneficiary.

The heading is revealing: «Hello friends, this is the final agreement discussed with H» (where «H» presumably refers to Hayden Davis).

The document, drafted in memo form and in English, was addressed to Davis and his inner circle, aiming to document what was supposedly agreed upon with Milei. It was written between late October and November 2024, just before Davis traveled to Argentina to meet with the president at the Casa Rosada.

The first payment ($1.5 million) was to be made upfront, the second ($1.5 million) upon Milei tweeting about Davis, and the third ($2 million) once a contract was signed in person.

The document was drafted as a memo and directed at Davis and his close circle, intending to put in writing what was purportedly negotiated with the Argentine president.

According to reports from El Destape, «the document, created on February 11, 2025—three days before Milei posted the contract on X—outlines a payment scheme totaling five million dollars, attributed to a contact identified as ‘H’, which the dossier links to Hayden Davis.»

In the text, Novelli wrote: «Hello friends, this is the final agreement discussed with H,» apparently referring to Hayden Davis. He detailed: «$1.5 million in liquid tokens or cash as an advance. $1.5 million in liquid tokens or cash in exchange for Milei announcing on Twitter that his advisor is Hayden Davis/Kelsier/the Davis family. $2 million in tokens or cash for signing a contract in person with Milei for advice on blockchain/artificial intelligence for the Argentine government and/or Javier Milei, and review with Javier and Karina.»

«The agreement text names the Milei brothers explicitly. Not as indirect recipients of a complex scheme: as parties to a transaction,» the cited media emphasized.

The fulfillment of this contract appears to have had its first milestone on January 30, culminating in the photo and public announcement of the advisory. In line with this, on the same day, Novelli sent a message to a contact at the BBVA bank, confessing, «I closed a tremendous deal. I want to celebrate,» summarizing the business as «financing for tech».

This discovery partially validated claims made by other actors in the crypto ecosystem. Entrepreneur Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano, had reported being asked for money to meet with Milei during the Tech Forum. Meanwhile, Diógenes Casares from Stream Finance recounted receiving a message from a trusted source stating that «a government official (of Milei’s) had been paid, whether as a bribe or a consulting fee,» mentioning the figure of five million dollars.

Calls Between the Mileis and Novelli and Deleted Chats

The investigation continues amidst a climate of legal tension. Prosecutor Eduardo Taiano, after receiving DATIP’s report, took a concrete step: he requested the General Secretariat of the Presidency, led by Karina Milei—who is indicted along with her brother for bribery—to inform whether there exists a confidential agreement with Davis and, if so, to provide the original document.

This legal move aims to corroborate whether the document signed on January 29, 2025, referred to in media reports is the same one that Novelli had as a draft. Meanwhile, DATIP’s experts confirmed a behavior pattern complicating the investigation’s transparency: «many records with interlocutors are either empty or may have been deleted.»

Despite the deletions, it was established that the day of the $LIBRA launch, on February 14, there was an unusual traffic of communications: eight calls between Milei and Novelli, seven between Karina Milei and Novelli, and fourteen with Santiago Caputo, in the minutes preceding and following the presidential posting. At that time, Novelli was not in Argentina but in a luxury hotel in Dallas, Texas, surrounded by a group of young individuals, orchestrating the operation. Two days earlier, he had attended an NBA game in the most expensive seats alongside the Davises, enjoying the impending business.

When Milei claimed, after the currency’s collapse which left over 40,000 investors at a loss, that he was «not informed» and merely «disseminated» a private project, Mauricio Novelli’s chats told a different story. The account of an operator moving «almost like a public official,» organizing events with CNV advisors, negotiating million-dollar fees for tweets, and arrogantly boasting in a WhatsApp group how he would take the Argentine president’s phone the next day. «Done. Mission accomplished. Now let’s show everyone, and they can suck it well,» was his victory declaration.

The evidence extracted from Novelli’s cellphone—containing drafts of contracts and coordinated calls—suggests a planned operation and economic agreement that the federal judiciary must now determine if constitutes evidence of bribery or incompatible negotiations.