Sydney Entrepreneur Dubbed 'Next Zuckerberg' Arrested in New York City on Assault Charges
Ben Pasternak, a 26-year-old entrepreneur from Sydney once celebrated as a potential successor to Mark Zuckerberg, has been arrested in New York City and charged with serious assault. This development comes just days after he was implicated in a civil lawsuit alleging he orchestrated a cryptocurrency scheme that caused millions of dollars in losses for investors.
Criminal Charges and Court Proceedings
According to New York Criminal Court listings obtained by the Daily Mail, Pasternak was arrested on Tuesday and faces one count of strangulation in the second degree and one count of assault with intent to cause physical injury. The charges stem from an incident on March 31, where he is accused of strangling and assaulting an individual.
Pasternak has pleaded not guilty to both charges and is scheduled to appear in New York Criminal Court on June 11. Dini von Mueffling, an American public relations executive who identified herself as a friend of Pasternak, issued a statement on his behalf, asserting that he "unilaterally denies the accusation" made by content creator and podcaster Evelyn Ha. Von Mueffling noted that Pasternak's relationship with Ha ended on March 31, the same night as the alleged assault.
Civil Lawsuit Allegations of Cryptocurrency Fraud
Parallel to the criminal case, Pasternak is embroiled in a civil lawsuit accusing him of running an elaborate cryptocurrency scheme. Court filings reviewed by the Australian Financial Review allege that Pasternak promoted three cryptocurrency tokens—$PASTERNAK, $LAUNCHCOIN, and $BELIEVE—through a platform he launched called Clout, later rebranded to Believe. The platform allowed users with certain follower thresholds to create tokens linked to their personal profiles.
Lawyers for investors claim that Pasternak hyped these tokens on social media, leading to rapid price appreciation followed by catastrophic declines, in a scheme known as a "rug pull." Investors allege they are owed hundreds of millions of dollars, with the $PASTERNAK token reportedly plummeting from an $85 million valuation to less than $190,000 within a week of launch.
Background and Rise to Prominence
Pasternak, the grandson of Sydney property heavyweight Robert Magid, whose net worth exceeds $700 million, first gained attention at age 15 when an iPhone game he created in class topped the Apple App Store charts. His early success earned him invitations from tech giants like Google and Facebook, as well as a scholarship to Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference.
He later secured over $91 million in investment for two businesses—a social media app and a plant-based chicken nugget company—which he subsequently sold. In recent years, Pasternak shifted his focus to cryptocurrency, launching the Clout/Believe platform. Despite dropping out of school in Year 10 and growing up in Sydney's exclusive eastern suburbs, he has been regularly spotted with celebrities such as Drake and former Apple CEO Tim Cook, cementing his image as a wunderkind in tech circles.
Ongoing Investigations and Public Response
The Daily Mail has reached out to both Pasternak and Evelyn Ha for comment, but responses are pending. The dual legal battles—criminal assault charges and civil fraud allegations—cast a shadow over Pasternak's once-promising career, raising questions about the regulatory oversight of cryptocurrency ventures and the pressures faced by young entrepreneurs in high-stakes industries.
As the cases proceed, investors and observers await further developments, with the June 11 court date marking a critical juncture in the criminal proceedings. The outcome could have significant implications for Pasternak's future and the broader perception of innovation in the digital asset space.
