The founder of a vegan meat startup was charged with strangling his influencer ex-girlfriend. He denies the charges.
Tech entrepreneur and vegan startup founder Ben Pasternak has been accused of strangling his influencer girlfriend Evelyn Ha in a luxury hotel while allegedly hiding out from claims he swindled investors of his crypto company. He denies all these claims.
Ben Pasternak Accused Of Strangling Evelyn Ha
Ben Pasternak is a 26-year-old Australian best known for his plant-based food startup Simulate. The company sold the famous vegan chicken nuggets Nuggs. It was valued at $250 million before being sold in 2024.
Evelyn Ha, 27, is a Korean-American lifestyle and beauty content creator. She has 4.5 million followers on TikTok, 2.4 million on Instagram and 470k on YouTube. She and her sisters Emily and Erica, who are influencers as well, call themselves the Ha Sisters.
On March 31, the pair was at the Baccarat Hotel in Manhattan on West 53rd Street, where a room costs $2,000 per night. The vegan meat mogul was staying there to avoid being served a federal lawsuit regarding his cryptocurrency venture, Believe, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office alleges. In it, investors claim he diluted the value of the platform’s coins.
The criminal complaint states that in his room, Ha tried to film him on her phone, to which Pasternak responded by squeezing Ha's neck with both hands, so she had to seek medical attention for redness, throat pain, and difficulty breathing. He also allegedly slammed a door on her multiple times, resulting in bruising to her arms and hips.
Pasternak was charged with second-degree strangulation and misdemeanor assault.
In a YouTube video from April 23, after the incident, the Influencer spoke about the end of her relationship with Pasternak, saying:
There were serious boundaries that were crossed, and I decided to move away from that relationship for the sake of my safety and my wellbeing.
The tech entreprenuer millionaire seems to see it the other way around, though. His lawyer, Josh Kirshner, spoke to the New York Post in order to insist on his innocence. He said that his client’s actions were “limited to lawful self-defense and efforts to disengage”. Pasternak denies the charges against him and claims that Ha was in fact the aggressor. A spokeswoman for the startup founder stated that the influencer “flew into a rage” and “attacked” Pasternak during the hotel encounter.
Throughout their relationship, Evelyn physically attacked Ben. She was emotionally and physically abusive, very jealous, and threatened him if he ever dared leave the relationship. Our fears are now coming to fruition. She’s now making good on her threats.
Pasternak pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance despite prosecutors requesting $30,000 bail. He is due back in court on June 11.
Evelyn's fans are very supportive of the influencer. She herself has not addressed the situation any further. Of course, her comments are full of questions regarding the case but many also praise her for not saying anything, being "unbothered" and "mature about it". Some supporters speculate on Pasternak and his potentially aggressive nature by compiling clips they think make him seem problematic.
There were signs https://t.co/JnuV8Qeq0R pic.twitter.com/B7AUaGX42j
— Cum (@cremedupepe) April 23, 2026
The case involving Ben Pasternak and Evelyn Ha is still unfolding, with both sides presenting sharply different accounts of what happened behind closed doors. While the legal process will ultimately determine the facts, the allegations have already cast a shadow over both public figures and sparked intense discussion online. As supporters rally behind Evelyn Ha and Pasternak maintains his innocence, the situation remains complex and unresolved.
