Newly surfaced phone records and messages add to the evidence that could deepen legal scrutiny of Argentine President Javier Millay’s role in the failed cryptocurrency project Libra, The New York Times reported on Monday.
According to court documents from an ongoing federal investigation, Milley had multiple phone calls on the night of the token launch in February 2025 with Mauricio Novelli, an entrepreneur considered the key figure behind the multi-million dollar Libra Ragpul.
The New York Times said the calls occurred around the time Millais promoted the token on social media, calling into question Millais’ claims that he was not directly involved.
According to Argentine news outlet Pagina/12, call records show that contact began minutes before Mirei’s post and continued for several hours as the token soared and crashed, with some of the longest exchanges occurring late in the evening when prices were already falling.
Miley’s connection to the cryptocurrency scandal was first reported more than a year ago when CoinDesk obtained text messages from a source close to the matter, Hayden Davis, CEO of Kelsher Ventures, the key person behind the Libra token. Devas claimed to have had influence within the Argentine president’s inner circle months before the memecoin’s launch and crash.
In March, Página/12 reported that up to eight communications took place between Millei and Novelli during the main launch period.
The contents of the calls remain unclear, but investigators believe their timing and frequency suggest closer collaboration than has been publicly acknowledged. Millay has not been charged but is listed as a person of interest in the investigation.
Additional material recovered from Novelli’s cell phone further complicates the situation. Prosecutors found messages suggesting Mr Millay was regularly paid a monthly “salary” during his time as an MP. The draft document also points to potential financial agreements related to Millais publicly supporting individuals associated with the project, although there is no confirmed evidence that any agreements have been signed.
The findings are based on a report by CoinDesk that revealed $Libra co-founder Davis privately claimed he could influence Milay through payments to his sister, government official Karina Milay. Mr. Davis later denied having made any such payments.
Taken together, phone records, payment-related messages, and prior reporting strengthen suspicions that Millais’ promotion of $Libra may not have been a coincidence. His since-deleted social media posts, which included access details that were not widely publicized at the time, helped the token’s price soar before collapsing, wiping out an estimated $250 million in investor funds in what critics called a classic “rug puller.”
Mirei admitted that he supported the Libra token in another X post, and said he deleted the previous post because he did not know the details. But the damage had already been done. Libra’s price soared more than 2,000% in 40 minutes after Millais’ tweet, but then crashed as early holders cashed out.
The Argentine presidential administration did not immediately respond to CoinDesk’s request for comment, but officials have previously denied any link between the president and the $Libra project and dismissed such claims as unproven or based on controversial evidence.
