Howard Rubin, a former New York financier with past ties to billionaire George Soros, was arrested on federal charges alleging he trafficked and abused women in a Midtown Manhattan penthouse outfitted as a soundproofed BDSM “sex dungeon.”
Federal authorities arrested Howard Rubin, 70, at his Fairfield, Connecticut, home Friday morning on charges of sex trafficking and transporting women across state lines for commercial sex acts. Prosecutors in Brooklyn allege Rubin lured women, including former Playboy models, to luxury hotels and a leased West 57th Street penthouse between 2009 and 2019, where he restrained, beat, and shocked them.
Rubin, once a high-profile Wall Street figure who managed funds for George Soros and worked at Salomon Brothers, is accused of spending more than $1 million to facilitate the scheme. According to prosecutors, Rubin forced victims to sign nondisclosure agreements and ignored safe words during violent encounters, which in some cases caused lasting injuries.
Investigators say one of the penthouse bedrooms was painted red, soundproofed, and contained equipment such as a cross with restraints and a device used to deliver electric shocks. Text messages cited in the indictment allegedly show Rubin discussing the abuse with his assistant, Jennifer Powers, who prosecutors say recruited women online and arranged their travel. Powers, arrested in Texas, faces charges alongside Rubin.
Court documents describe Rubin paying victims through wire transfers, PayPal, and Venmo, often staggering payments to avoid detection. In one instance, prosecutors allege, Rubin wired tens of thousands of dollars to a woman after an encounter left her with damaged breast implants. He also allegedly told another victim that rape was “natural” and referenced Disney films to justify his views.
Rubin previously faced civil lawsuits over similar allegations. In 2017, several women accused him of violent assaults, and in 2022 a jury awarded seven plaintiffs a total of $4.47 million. Earlier this year, a judge ordered Rubin to pay nearly $4.8 million in legal fees. He has appealed those rulings but was required to post bonds totaling almost $10 million.
Rubin’s wife, Mary J. Henry, filed for divorce in 2021 following the first wave of lawsuits. He is expected to be arraigned Friday in Brooklyn federal court. Prosecutors also charged Rubin with bank fraud, alleging he misrepresented financial information while backing Powers’ mortgage.
The case comes as George Soros, Rubin’s former employer, remains a subject of heightened scrutiny. The Department of Justice this month directed multiple U.S. attorneys to prepare investigations into Soros’s Open Society Foundations, examining potential violations ranging from terrorism support to wire fraud. Breitbart News has previously reported Soros’s extensive funding of activist groups, left-wing media outlets, and prosecutors across the country, with his network distributing millions through organizations such as the Tides Foundation and Arabella Advisors.
In recent weeks, Soros-linked funding has drawn renewed attention after Vice President JD Vance exposed connections between Soros-backed nonprofits and media outlets that published false claims about the late Charlie Kirk. Investigative reports and commentary from watchdog groups, including the Government Accountability Institute, have also detailed Soros’s role in channeling money to organizations tied to violent protests and legal campaigns against conservatives.
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