A woman who wore luxury brands, moved in exclusive spaces and posed in front of professional cameras pretended a life of influencer gastronomic. What few knew was that, behind that unattainable image, a lie was hidden to eat. free in renowned restaurants.
The protagonist is Pei Chung, 34 years oldresident, supposedly, of a waterfront skyscraper in Williamsburg, a neighborhood in New York. On Instagram, show off Prada heels, Louis Vuitton bags and Hermès belts while posing in different high-end places.
Clothes with colorful brand logos, always wearing makeup and with a professional camera with which she took photographs: this is how she built the image of a influencer who moved through restaurants that many consider unattainable.
With that style, he not only convinced his 16 thousand followersbut, according to the police, he also managed to deceive some of the most prestigious gastronomic establishments in the city.
A luxury diner whose glamor turned out to be a complete farce
In his profile he showed Michelin restaurant dishes and described them in detail, imitating the style of the most prominent gastronomic influencers.
Among other things, he published images of Colorado lamb from the European brasserie Francie and the marbled cuts of Peter Luger, two emblematic sites of New York.
Some of the dishes that Chung boasted on his Instagram account. Photo: @lu.pychungThe material appeared to be part of her job as a content creator; However, the police assure that Chung took advantage of this staging to defraud. According to police sources cited by The New York PostChung was arrested five times since October consume food in luxury restaurants and refuse to pay.
Her method would always have been the same: walk in dressed to the nines, order expensive dishes, and then claim that I would pay the bill with social media posts. To reinforce her role, she wore lighting equipment and spoke like a hired influencer.
The victims of the false influencer
The restaurant Francie He was one of the first victims. On October 22, Chung feasted on foie gras, carpaccio, bucatini, lamb, and chocolate mousse for a total of 188 dollars.
When it came time to pay, “I wanted to trade photos and a post for the food,” said restaurant owner John Winterman. When he did not accept the proposal, he tried to pay with his cards but they were all rejected. Then, she assured that she was expecting money from her family.
Pei Chung is 34 years old and presented himself as a «luxury influencer.» Photo: @lu.pychungAccording to Winterman, he returned to the store several times in subsequent days, but was no longer allowed to order. On November 7 he returned, asked for food 83 dollars and again refused to pay, which ended with his arrest.
Four days later, he tried to repeat the same scheme in Scooter Pizza and was arrested again for alleged theft of services.
His behavior reached an unusual point in Peter Lugerwhere he enjoyed one of the restaurant’s most emblematic cuts. While on his blog he described the steak as “a silk that melts with the aroma of oak,” the reality was different.
A manager claimed that the «fake influencer» disappeared for 45 minutes to avoid paying and that they found her hiding in the bathroom. When he finally came out, according to the local, he would have tried to offer sexual favors to the waiter to settle the bill.
While he faces court summonses for theft of services, his Instagram account remains active, although in recent days he stopped posting to both the feed and stories.
The future of your image is uncertainFrom now on, it remains to be seen whether his followers will continue to believe him after the allegations become known.
