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Ex–Wall Street millionaire accused of torturing women in soundproof ‘sex dungeon’
NYC millionaire Howard Rubin has been indicted for sex trafficking, accused of coercing women in a soundproof dungeon over a decade.
Retired Wall Street financier Howard Rubin has been indicted on sex trafficking charges for allegedly forcing women to perform sex acts with him in a soundproof ‘sex dungeon’. The former Soros fund manager stands accused of recruiting women, often former Playboy models, to engage in sex for money.
Charges against Howard Rubin
Over a period of one decade, Rubin and his assistant Jennifer Powers flew women from across the US to New York City, where they would then be coerced into performing sex acts with Rubin. The women were beaten, raped and tortured, with the NYC financier often relying on force, fraud and coercion to buy their silence.
Rubin and Powers are now accused of running a $1 million bondage and masochism sex-trafficking scheme between 2009 and 2019, per a New York Post report.
“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 on September 26. “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.”
Howard Rubin’s sex dungeon
Rubin, who is worth tens of millions of dollars, maintained a Manhattan penthouse with a soundproof room where these sex acts were conducted. The apartment was located only a short walk away from the home he shared with his wife and three children.
The New York Post reported that Rubin had a “revolving door” of women who dined with him at a bistro near the apartment before being coerced into perverted acts.
“It seemed like he paid for their boobs, butts and faces… They were all blond,” said a server, who asked to remain anonymous.
The soundproof room in the apartment was stocked with sadism and bondage devices. It was painted red with a white carpet and had an X-shaped “St. Andrews cross” and bed with restraints. The bed was used to chain and gag the victims, according to prosecutors.
One of Rubin’s victims claims she was tied to the cross, beaten and whipped, court documents show.
Rubin pleaded not guilty to the charges on Friday. A U.S. magistrate judge ordered Rubin to be detained without bail and said he was a flight risk, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn.
(With inputs from Reuters)
