ACCUSER’s NEW FURY – CONFIDENTIAL:
“REMEMBER ME now?” That was model Caron Bernstein’s question for former model Johnny Zander after learning that he’d denied knowing her when we tracked him down in Los Angeles to substantiate her claims that she’d been sexually assaulted by photographer Terry Richardson. The Daily News published Bernstein’s harrowing tale last week. According to Bernstein, it was Zander (photo) — who claims the title character in “Zoolander” was modeled after him — who introduced her to Richardson the day she was allegedly assaulted in the shutterbug’s SoHo photo studio in 2003, though she doesn’t know if Zander was aware of what happened at the shoot. Richardson maintains his encounter with Bernstein was consensual. “I heard you forgot my name,” Bernstein also wrote to Zander on Instagram after our story went live on the Daily News homepage. She added: “I on the other hand am not delusional and DO remember your name.” Zander, now working as a bartender in L.A., told us at the start of our investigation that he had no recollection of Bernstein. He even downplayed his relationship with Richardson, who he said photographed him “a couple times” during his modeling days. “I don’t know anything about it,” he insisted with regards to Bernstein’s encounter with Richardson. “I, for sure, didn’t arrange it.”
Richardson thanks Zander in his pornographic coffee table book “Terryworld,” in which a photo of Bernstein’s breasts covered in semen appear. He lists Zander among three dozen people “who helped make this book possible.”
Bernstein also tells us that Zander didn’t respond to her attempt to jog his memory with her cutting Instagram message.
Shortly before Bernstein came to us with her story, Zander Instagrammed her out of the blue admitting he hadn’t seen her in a while.
“It’s been probably 12-13 years. Where are you in the world these days?” Zander wrote to Bernstein on Sept. 29.
She told us it had been closer to 14 years since they last spoke. It was the day Bernstein claims Zander introduced her to Richardson. After we presented Zander with that missive, he had his lawyer get back to us.
“He acknowledges he knows who that is. They corresponded on Instagram,” attorney David
Erikson said. Zander continues to deny any knowledge of the alleged assault by Richardson.
Bernstein suggested that someone should write another “Zoolander” sequel about Zander’s life now.