Overview

• Federal filings allege Howard Rubin and assistant Jennifer Powers recruited and transported women from 2009 to 2019 for paid BDSM encounters that escalated into non‑consensual abuse.
• Prosecutors describe a Manhattan penthouse with a lockable, soundproof room outfitted with an X‑shaped cross, a bed with restraints, masks, ropes, chains, metal hooks, and a cattle prod.
• An email quoted in court papers shows Powers detailing pre‑installed chains and cuffs to quickly strap visitors to equipment inside the room.
• Authorities say the pair spent roughly $1 million on recruitment, travel, payments, and NDAs, targeting vulnerable women and using drugs or alcohol that left some bound, gagged, or unable to object.
• Powers pleaded not guilty, was released on an $850,000 bond with electronic monitoring, and faces added tax‑related charges with her husband; Rubin pleaded not guilty, remains detained as a flight risk, and has a court date set for October 20, with a 2022 civil verdict against him for $3.9 million under appeal.