The view from a Manhattan penthouse overlooking New York City’s verdant Central Park is often quite breathtaking. The alleged victims of former Soros Fund Management and Bear Stearns executive Howard Rubin may not have been able to enjoy the scenery from inside the BDSM sex dungeon the Wall Street millionaire constructed out of one of the bedrooms. In a case with unfortunate echoes to the behavior of convicted sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, Rubin and his accomplice find themselves indicted on different but also heinous charges.
Along with personal assistant Jennifer Powers, Rubin was charged in a 10-count indictment on September 17, 2025, for sex trafficking and Mann Act violation charges for over ten years of hiring and transporting women for prostitution. Rubin was arrested in Connecticut and taken into custody on September 26. Power was arrested at her home in Southlake, Texas.
The two also stand accused of bank fraud through their payment methods, which were crafted to keep transactions hidden and away from any scrutiny. The charges claim that the victims may have signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) acknowledging that they were receiving money to have BDSM-style sexual encounters with Rubin, but his excessive violence and refusal to acknowledge safety protocols resulted in them being forced into unwanted sexual acts and suffering injuries.
Given the brutal nature of the claims against Rubin and his vast wealth, Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, named him an extreme flight risk and requested a permanent order of detention. While the 70-year-old Rubin maintains his innocence, a jury in federal court awarded six of his victims a total of almost $4 million in 2022 for compensatory and punitive damages in a civil case. Unlike Epstein, Rubin’s trafficking operation only existed to find him participants for his sex acts. However, his alleged actions turned luxury hotels and penthouse apartments into dens of horror and pain.
Money Does Not Override Lack of Consent
According to federal prosecutors, Rubin began recruiting women in 2010 to travel to NYC to have commercial sex acts with him in luxury hotel rooms. The women who became part of his sex trafficking network, which included former Playboy models, were aware that they were being paid to have BDSM-themed sexual encounters with Rubin. They signed NDAs to that effect and accepted hidden, “off-the-book” payments through PayPal and Venmo that were more difficult to trace than wire transfers.
BDSM encounters are open to abuse and can become dangerous if the dom doesn’t acknowledge the cancellation failsafe provided by the sub’s safeword. The indictment charges that over the ensuing 10 years, Rubin began to treat the women less like human beings and more like toys to be broken at his whim. With the help of Powers, who handled all the logistics like travel, payment, and supplies, Rubin converted the second bedroom of a Central Park penthouse into his personal sex dungeon. This included multiple sets of restraints and soundproof walls.
The indictment states that Rubin became steadily more abusive of the women who were brought to him. He’s accused of ignoring the safeword failsafes to inflict additional pain, suffering, and humiliation on his victims. His assistant allegedly cleaned up after him by getting medical attention for those who required it, trying to downplay the abuse the victims suffered, threatening and shaming those who wanted to go to the police, and making sure payments stayed off the radar. The indictment also notes that Powers’ expenses were allegedly funded by Rubin between 2018 and 2023 to the tune of $8 million.
A Room With Much Less of a View
The U.S. Attorney’s office included 10 Jane Does in the indictment and said that it’s aware there are dozens of other victims as well. Given the substantial amount of money and resources available to Rubin, the Department of Justice (DOJ) requested that he be kept in jail until his trial with a permanent order of detention. It also wants Power under home detention, fitted with a GPS monitor, and required to put up a sizable bond.
Rubin has maintained his innocence in the face of the civil ruling that cost him $3.85 million in 2022, which was resolved before any criminal charges against him were filed. While that might not be financially ruinous to Rubin, the bevy of sex trafficking charges Rubin is facing may make his fortune irrelevant if he’s found guilty.
Related Resources
- SCOTUS Agrees To Hear Challenge Heck v. Humphrey (FindLaw’s Federal Courts)
- Human Trafficking and Slavey Crimes (FindLaw’s Criminal Charges)
- Trump Administration Cuts Resources for Agencies Fighting Human Trafficking and Slavery (FindLaw’s Law and Daily Life)
