Retired New York Financier and his Personal Assistant Charged with Sex Trafficking and Transporting Women to Engage in Commercial Sex Acts

A 10-count indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging retired New York-based financier, Howard Rubin, also known as "Howie" and "H," along with his personal assistant, Jennifer Powers, with sex trafficking and transporting women in interstate commerce for sex acts with Rubin. Rubin was also charged with bank fraud in connection with misrepresentations made to a bank in the course of financing Powers's mortgage for the Texas home of Powers and her husband.

Rubin was arrested this morning in Fairfield, Connecticut and will be arraigned this afternoon in federal court in Brooklyn before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo. Powers was arrested in Texas this morning and is scheduled to make her initial appearance on Monday in federal court in the Northern District of Texas. Powers will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.

Joseph Nocella Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, New York Field Office (FBI), and Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI New York) announced the arrests and indictment.

"As alleged, the defendants used Rubin's wealth to mislead and recruit women to engage in commercial sex acts, where Rubin then tortured women beyond their consent, causing lasting physical and/or psychological pain, and in some cases physical injuries," stated United States Attorney Nocella. "Today's arrests show that no one who engages in sex trafficking, in this case in luxury hotels and a penthouse apartment that featured a so-called sex 'dungeon,' is above the law, and that they will be brought to justice. Human beings are not chattel to be exploited for sex and sadistically abused, and anyone who thinks otherwise can expect to find themselves in handcuffs and facing federal prosecution like these defendants."

"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," stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. "The FBI will continue to apprehend any trafficker who sexually abuses others for twisted gratification."

"It's alleged Rubin directed a sex trafficking enterprise, exploiting women who were transported from across the country to his Manhattan penthouse that was equipped with a soundproof sex room filled with BDSM equipment, including a device used to shock the women," stated Special Agent in Charge of IRS-CI Chavis. "This was not a one-man show. While Rubin dehumanized these women with abhorrent sexual acts, Powers is alleged to have run the day-to-day operations of the enterprise and got paid generously for her efforts. IRS-CI and FBI partnered to see fit that all the facts are detailed in this case and ensure that this pair realizes the full consequences of their ghastly behaviors."

Rubin, now retired, built his wealth in New York City working in finance. Powers, became his personal assistant around 2011, and managed the logistical aspects of their commercial sex operation. As alleged in the indictment, between 2009 and 2019, Rubin and Powers recruited multiple women to travel to New York City to engage in commercial sex acts with Rubin involving bondage, discipline, dominance, submission and sadomasochism, referred to as "BDSM" sex, and some of the women were trafficked. The commercial sex acts initially took place in luxury hotels, and then later in Rubin's two-bedroom penthouse apartment (the "Penthouse") in midtown Manhattan where he and Powers converted one of the bedrooms into what they referred to as a sex "dungeon" that was painted red, soundproofed and furnished with BDSM equipment and devices, including a device to shock or electrocute the women. Rubin also used force, fraud and coercion to traffic another woman in 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Additionally, while fully embroiled in civil litigation related to this same conduct, Rubin falsely told a bank that he was not a party to litigation to secure a mortgage for Powers's Texas home, which he financed.

As alleged, Rubin and Powers, together with others, recruited women to engage in commercial sex acts with Rubin. Powers frequently arranged the women's flights to New York to LaGuardia or John F. Kennedy International Airports in Queens and then transported them to the Penthouse. During many of these encounters, Rubin brutalized women's bodies, causing them to fear for their safety and/or resulting in significant pain and injuries.

As further alleged in the indictment, Rubin and Powers required the women to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), which purported to require the women to assume the risk of the hazards and injury of the BDSM encounters with Rubin, prohibit the disclosure of information about the BDSM sex with Rubin and require the payment of damages in the event of a breach. Rubin used the NDAs to threaten the women with legal consequences and public shaming if they sought legal recourse.

After the sexual encounters, Rubin and/or Powers used Rubin's money to pay the women by wire transfer or a payment service such as PayPal or Venmo. At times, Powers structured the payments to avoid sending a single transaction of $10,000 or more, to avoid triggering reporting obligations by the bank. The indictment alleges the defendants spent at least $1 million of Rubin's money operating and maintaining the trafficking network.

The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of sex trafficking, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment. If convicted of transporting women to engage in commercial sex acts, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment on each count. If Rubin is convicted of bank fraud, he faces a maximum sentence of 30 years' imprisonment.

If you believe you have been victimized by or have information about Howard Rubin or Jennifer Powers, please contact the FBI at fbi.gov/HowardRubinVictims, [email protected] or 212-384-3600.

The government's case is being handled by the Office's Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Kayla Bensing, Tara McGrath, and Raffaela S. Belizaire are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendants:

HOWARD RUBIN (also known as "Howie" and "H")
Age: 70
Fairfield, Connecticut

JENNIFER POWERS
Age: 45
Southlake, Texas

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-281 (MKB)