Overview

• Retired financier Howard Rubin has pleaded not guilty to federal sex‑trafficking charges and remains detained without bail, with his next court date set for Oct. 20.
• Court documents describe a soundproofed room in a Manhattan penthouse outfitted with restraints and bondage equipment where women were allegedly abused.
• Prosecutors say Rubin and assistant Jennifer Powers ran a roughly $1 million operation from 2009 to 2019 that recruited vulnerable women, sometimes flying them to New York and providing drugs or alcohol before encounters.
• Jennifer Powers pleaded not guilty, was released on an $850,000 bond, and is on house arrest with an ankle monitor, according to court records.
• Federal filings allege Rubin funded Powers’ lifestyle for years and that Powers and her husband, Stephen, failed to report millions in payments on joint tax returns, while the FBI says the scheme exploited Rubin’s status to ensnare victims.