Believe founder Benjamin Pasternak arrested on suspicion of second-degree strangulation

According to publicly available records from the New York Criminal Court released on April 23, Believe ecosystem app founder Benjamin Pasternak was arrested in New York on April 22. He was charged with one count of second-degree strangulation and two counts of assault with intent to cause physical injury. The case is scheduled to be heard in New York Criminal Court on June 11. Pasternak has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges mentioned above.

Details of the criminal charges and statements from the parties

(Source: Public records from the New York Criminal Court)

According to publicly available records from the New York Criminal Court, Pasternak was charged with one count of second-degree strangulation and two counts of assault with intent to cause physical injury related to an incident that occurred on March 31, 2026. Pasternak pleaded not guilty to all charges. He is currently 26 years old.

In an email statement, American PR executive Dini von Mueffling, who describes herself as Pasternak’s friend, said: “This (Pasternak) unilaterally denies the allegations made against him by Evelyn Ha.” von Mueffling said that Pasternak previously dated content creator and podcast host Evelyn Ha, and the two ended their relationship on the night of March 31, when the alleged incident occurred. The statement was issued after The Australian Financial Review contacted Pasternak to request comments. The Australian Financial Review also contacted Ha to request comments, and as of the time of reporting, it had not received a response.

Believe platform crypto fraud allegations: parallel to the criminal case

According to an April 11 report, prior to this criminal arrest, Pasternak faced another set of crypto fraud allegations regarding his Believe platform. New York lawyer Max Burwick filed documents in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of investors, alleging that Pasternak initiated “a coordinated scheme” to charge investors by launching the $PASTERNAK, $LAUNCHCOIN , and $BELIEVE tokens, and accusing the relevant tokens of allegedly rug pull fraud, involving an amount in the millions of dollars. The above crypto fraud allegations are a separate case from this criminal arrest.

Benjamin Pasternak’s public background

According to public information, Pasternak is from Sydney, Australia, and his grandfather is real estate developer Bob Magid. Pasternak previously founded a plant-based chicken nugget company, Simulate (at one point valued at $250 million and sold in 2024 for an undisclosed price), and in 2021 was selected for Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. After that, he founded the Clout platform, which allows users with more than 10,000 followers on X to issue tokens on the Solana blockchain; the platform later renamed to Believe.

Frequently Asked Questions

What criminal charges is Benjamin Pasternak currently facing, and when will the case be heard?

According to publicly available records from the New York Criminal Court released on April 23, Pasternak is accused in connection with an alleged incident that occurred on March 31, 2026, of one count of second-degree strangulation and two counts of assault with intent to cause physical injury. The case is scheduled to be heard in New York Criminal Court on June 11, 2026.

What is Pasternak’s position on the criminal charges?

According to publicly available records from the New York Criminal Court, Pasternak has pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges. His PR executive, Dini von Mueffling, said in a statement that Pasternak “unilaterally denies the allegations made against him by Evelyn Ha.”

Are Pasternak’s crypto fraud allegations the same case as this criminal arrest?

The two are separate cases. The crypto fraud lawsuit was filed by lawyer Max Burwick on April 11 on behalf of investors regarding the Believe platform, alleging rug pull fraud involving the $PASTERNAK, $LAUNCHCOIN , and $BELIEVE tokens; the criminal charges stem from the March 31 alleged strangulation and assault incident, and the two are of different nature.