Ex-Wall Street Millionaire Accused Of Torturing Women In Secret 'Sex Dungeon', His Aide Recruited Victims

Howard Rubin, a former Wall Street millionaire, has been accused of running a decade-long sex trafficking operation out of a soundproof "sex dungeon" in his Manhattan penthouse. Rubin, who managed a Soros fund, allegedly coerced women, including former Playboy models, into performing sex acts with him, often using force, fraud, and coercion, New York Times reported. Rubin and his assistant Jennifer Powers, who was also indicted, spent more than $1 million of Rubin's money funding the operation, prosecutors said. 

Rubin, 70, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and was ordered detained without bail, deemed a flight risk. Powers, who now lives in Texas, has also pleaded not guilty and is currently free on bail after posting an $850,000 bond.

"For many years, Howard Rubin and Jennifer Powers allegedly spent at least one million dollars to finance the commercial sexual torture of multiple women via a national trafficking network.  The defendants allegedly exploited Rubin's status to ensnare their prospective victims and forced them to endure unthinkable physical trauma before silencing any outcries with threats of legal recourse," Christopher Raia, the FBI's assistant director for New York, said in a statement. 

"Sex Dungeon"

From 2009 to 2019, Rubin and Powers allegedly lured at least a half-dozen women--many vulnerable, with histories of addiction or prior abuse, including former Playboy models. Powers handled the logistics like booking flights, chauffeuring victims to Rubin's two-bedroom penthouse at the Metropolitan Tower on West 57th Street, and wiring payments via PayPal or Venmo, often structured to evade bank reporting thresholds. 

The operation reportedly cost Rubin over $1 million, funded by his fortune.The penthouse, rented for $18,000 monthly, was kept separate from his family home nearby. One lockable bedroom, painted blood-red with white carpeting, was meticulously soundproofed to muffle screams. Equipped as a built-in torture chamber, it featured an X-shaped St. Andrew's cross bolted to the wall, a restraint bed with chains and cuffs at each corner, full-face masks with zippers, ropes, metal hooks, sex toys, and a cattle prod for electrocution.

The indictment details how the pair coerced victims into signing nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) before sessions, documents that falsely framed the women as willingly accepting the dangers of intense bondage and masochism play with Rubin. These contracts not only barred any discussion of the encounters but also demanded steep penalties for violations. Prosecutors allege Rubin routinely exceeded consent, subjecting women to savage beatings, whippings, rapes, and shocks that caused lasting bruises, maiming, and trauma.

One victim recounted being strapped to the cross, gagged, and flogged while Rubin role-played as a domineering "daddy." Another endured a 2018 Las Vegas assault involving force and fraud. Fearing for their lives, survivors suffered in isolation, their pain compounded by NDAs. 

Post-assault, payments flowed from Rubin's coffers, via wire transfers or apps like PayPal and Venmo, to buy compliance and cover travel costs. Powers often split sums into smaller chunks under $10,000 to dodge federal banking alerts, a tactic that masked the scheme's scale.

If convicted of sex trafficking, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment.