Ben Pasternak’s former partner has opened up following his arrest linked to an alleged incident on the night of their breakup.
Pasternak, a 26-year-old entrepreneur from Sydney, was taken into custody in New York City after accusations surfaced that he strangled and assaulted an individual on March 31.
Documents from the New York Criminal Court, referenced by the Daily Mail, reveal that Pasternak faces charges of second-degree strangulation and assault with the intent to inflict physical harm.
Having pleaded not guilty to both accusations, Pasternak is scheduled to appear in the New York Criminal Court on June 11.
In response to the news of his arrest, Evelyn Ha, a Korean-American social media influencer and Pasternak’s ex-girlfriend, released a heartfelt video addressing her followers.
“I wanted to speak to you all about some rumors circulating online… I needed time to process everything as there has been a lot happening behind the scenes,” Ha explained.
‘I’m no longer in a relationship.
‘It’s still really raw for me to be completely honest. And right now I’m just spending time with friends and family and just trying to take everything day by day, hour by hour, and just try my best to just be in the moment.’
Evelyn Ha and Ben Pasternak broke up on March 31 after a well-documented relationship
Pasternak shot to fame in the tech world aged just 15 after inventing an iPhone game
Ms Ha also told her followers she was ‘a mess right now’ and that she needed time before she could ‘open up’ as it was ‘still really fresh and raw.’
Pasternak responded with his own video on Monday and made a series of claims against Ms Ha.
‘I have never strangled anyone in my entire life. Uh, that’s not what I do. I’m not physically aggressive in any way at all,’ Pasternak said in the 6.41 Youtube video.
Pasternak also vowed to fight the allegations.
He added: ‘I trust the court system to reveal the truth.’
It comes as Ms Ha’s fans have been raising concerns for some time over the nature of their relationship.
Pasternak often featured in Ha’s video content, in which he was referred to by the name Mystery Man.
In one video posted to her YouTube account eight months ago, titled ‘What It’s Like Dating a Tech Founder’, Pasternak is seen ignoring Ms Ha’s affectionate advances while on holiday in the Dominican Republic.
Pasternak spoke out about the alleged incident
Pasternak often featured in Ms Ha’s content, referred to as Mystery Man
She complained in the video that due to Pasternak’s constant working, ‘My boyfriend neglects me.’
The vlog takes a turn when Ms Ha tries to play a ‘What would you rather’ game while the couple enjoys breakfast by the pool.
She asks: ‘Would you rather me cheat on you with an ugly unsuccessful guy, or a really handsome successful guy?’
Pasternak interrupts and asks Ms Ha: ‘Would you rather we go swimming in the pool over there, and I hold your head under water and you die?’
Ms Ha responded with ‘What the f***?’
Pasternak continued: ‘Or, we have a romantic boat trip at night and I push you off the boat and leave you?’
Ha appears to laugh the questions off and Pasternak adds: ‘All the people in the comments are gonna be like, ‘Oh my god he’s a psychopath!’… Guys, it’s a joke with a capital J.’
Ha has told friends she is a ‘mess’ following Pasternak’s arrest
Ms Ha’s videos about lifestyle, fashion, and travel have earned her millions of followers (pictured with Pasternak)
US publicist Dini von Mueffling has leapt to her friend Pasternak’s defence
Ms Ha waves the joke away by explaining that ‘apparently Australians are more sarcastic’.
Those close to Pasternak have leapt to his defence, including his New York lawyer Joshua Kirshner, who told the Daily Mail the allegations ‘mischaracterise’ what occurred.
‘The evidence indicates the complaining witness was the initial aggressor, and Ben Pasternak’s conduct was limited to lawful self-defense and efforts to disengage,’ Mr Kirshner said.
‘The complainant’s account is inconsistent and unsupported by reliable corroboration. We expect the facts to demonstrate that these charges are unwarranted.’
American publicist and journalist Dini von Mueffling – who represented the late sex trafficking victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre – also spoke exclusively to Daily Mail in support of the young Aussie.
‘Ben unilaterally denies the accusation Evelyn Ha has made against him,’ Ms von Mueffling said.
‘We ask people not to jump to conclusions and for their patience and understanding as he works through the devastating claims against him.’
Pasternak’s arrest comes just days after it was revealed he is also being pursued in the civil court after he was accused in complaint of running a cryptocurrency scheme that allegedly caused millions of dollars in losses.
Sydney-born Pasternak has made a name for himself in the US; pictured with rapper Drake
The civil lawsuit alleges Pasternak orchestrated an elaborate crypto scheme using allegedly deceptive tokens to lure millions from investors.
Pasternak, the grandson of Sydney property heavyweight Robert Magid, whose net worth is said to exceed $700 million, first made headlines at just 15 when an iPhone game he created in class shot to number one on the Apple App Store charts.
The teenage success story quickly attracted invitations from tech giants such as Google and Facebook, along with a scholarship to Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference.
He later secured more than $91 million in investment for two businesses – a social media app and a plant-based chicken nugget company – which he later sold.
Pasternak, who grew up in Sydney’s exclusive eastern suburbs, dropped out of school in Year 10 after catching the eye of Silicon Valley investors.
Ms Ha has not responded to requests for comment.
