A young Sydney entrepreneur faced a New York court on Thursday, US time, charged with assaulting his then girlfriend, a social media star with millions of followers. Unsurprisingly, it’s a case which has attracted intense social media commentary.Ben Pasternak, 26, the son of an AFR Rich-Lister, is accused of strangling and assault with intent to cause injury to Evelyn Ha.It’s alleged the attack took place in a suite at the luxury Baccarat Hotel, just south of Central Park in Midtown Manhattan, on March 31. He was arrested on April 21According to court papers seen by the New York Post, Mr Pasternak had been staying at the hotel to avoid being served with a lawsuit against his cryptocurrency venture.‘Confident he will be exonerated’Mr Pasternak’s case came before the New York City Criminal Court, in Downtown Manhattan, the same complex where Donald Trump’s infamous hush money trial played out in 2024. The young Australian did not appear in person. Instead, he appeared by video link from California, with the agreement of judge Terence McCormick. Mr Pasternak’s lawyer Joshua Kirshner told news.com.au at the Manhattan court that Mr Pasternak, who has lived in New York for years, was currently residing and working in the west coast state. He has pleaded not guilty and has vehemently denied any wrong doing commenting on YouTube that he did not “trust” Ms Ha. The case was adjourned until September 10 with Mr Pasternak allowed to remain free.“After the investigation is complete, we are very confident that my client will be exonerated of all charges completely,” Mr Kirshner told news.com.au on Thursday.“He’s frustrated but he’s confident that this will resolve itself in a favourable manner”.Mr Pasternak’s publicist Dini von Mueffling caliemd his relationship with content creator and podcaster Evelyn Ha, who has millions of social media followers on TikTok and YouTube, ended on March 31 – the same night as the alleged assault.In a statement to news.com.au, Ms Mueffling said Ms Ha had “weaponised the legal system against” Mr Pasternak. “The truth is indisputable and the evidence will speak for itself,” she added.‘Millions of followers’Ms Ha is a 27-year-old influencer known for lifestyle and fashion content. She has five million YouTube subscribers and more than four million followers on TikTok, where she creates content with her sisters. She lives in New York.Mr Pasternak became one of the youngest people to enter Forbes’ 30 under-30 list after the success of his chicken nugget start-up Simulate, that was once valued at $349 million. The business, in some quarters knows as the “Tesla of chicken” was sold in 2024.Mr Pasternak is the grandson of AFR Rich-Lister and Sydney real estate developer Bob Magid.He grew up in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and dropped out of school in Year 10 to become an entrepreneur after he caught the eye of American investors. Mr Pasternak moved to New York aged just 16, initially living in the trendy Hells Kitchen neighbourhood. In March, Mr Pasternak was accused of running a cryptocurrency scheme through Believe. It is alleged tokens were deceptive and took millions from investors. Known as a “rug pull”, or “pump and dump”, such schemes have developers talking up a new token to investors, before abandoning it, leaving some with a worthless token.This case was lodged by New York lawyer Max Burwick.Mr Burwick, on behalf of investors, alleged Mr Pasternak launched a “co-ordinated campaign” to amass fees through the launch of $PASTERNAK, $LAUNCHCOIN and $BELIEVE.Each iteration followed the same cycle: hype and promotional activity, rapid price appreciation, and catastrophic decline,” the court filing by lawyer Mr Burwick reads.With Peter Devlin.Read related topics:Sydney