Howard Rubin, a former financier, is at the center of a disturbing case involving his personal assistant, who is accused of playing a role in luring numerous women for him to exploit within a Manhattan “sex dungeon.” According to federal authorities, Jennifer Powers, the assistant, enjoyed a lavish lifestyle supported primarily by her employer, who “financially supported almost every aspect” of their lives.
Powers, a 45-year-old mother of three, is scheduled to appear in Brooklyn federal court for the first time following her indictment on charges related to an alleged sex-trafficking operation that lasted nearly a decade.
Beginning her employment with the prominent Wall Street figure in 2011, Powers faces new allegations just before her court appearance, claiming she neglected to report over $9 million Rubin spent to cover a wide range of expenses, including tuition for her children’s private school, as well as mortgage and credit card payments.
The federal documents stated, “Since around 2012, Rubin has financed nearly every aspect of Powers and her family’s lifestyle.”
Compounding the situation, Steve Powers, Jennifer’s husband, was charged late Tuesday for allegedly submitting dishonest joint tax returns for 2018 through 2024, failing to mention any funds from Rubin.
The couple wed in 2012 at the opulent Versace Mansion in Miami, a high-fashion-themed ceremony prominently featured in Wedding Style Magazine.
The newlyweds enjoyed a month-long honeymoon that included two weeks in Botswana and another two weeks in the Maldives, as reported.
In the years that followed, their social media revealed numerous vacations to destinations such as Hawaii, Turks and Caicos, Italy, and Colombia, with posts that featured family outings on a Disney Cruise and private jet travel.
Federal authorities contend that during this time, Jennifer allegedly played a crucial role in securing women and facilitating their travel to New York, where Rubin purportedly sexually exploited them in high-end hotels and a soundproofed room named “The Dungeon” within a rented penthouse costing $18,000 monthly near Central Park.
The sex-trafficking operation is said to have started in 2009 and continued until 2019, during which Rubin and Powers reportedly exchanged alarming texts that celebrated the abuse, according to prosecutors.
In 2020, following the couple’s relocation to Texas, Rubin allegedly paid for the down payment and mortgage on their home located in a wealthy suburb of Southlake.
Additionally, Jennifer purportedly failed to report around $500,000 in credit card debts that Rubin cleared for her annually from 2018 to 2023, as indicated by prosecutors.
Jennifer is believed to have reported no income during this period, while Steve purportedly declared less than $40,000 total from his DJ business in the tax years 2018 and 2019, with no further income reported thereafter, according to federal claims.
“The entirety of their lifestyle is financed by Rubin,” asserted prosecutors.
A father of three, Rubin, whose career spanned over three decades, included a position at billionaire George Soros’ investment firm, is also accused of covering Jennifer’s legal fees from a long-running lawsuit initiated in 2017 by Playboy Playmate models alleging abuse.
Jennifer Powers recently served as a substitute teacher within the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake but has since been removed from her position, as confirmed by the district to CBS News Texas.
She made an initial appearance in a Texas federal court on Monday, securing release on an $850,000 bond with a GPS monitor, ahead of the scheduled court hearing in Brooklyn.
Although Rubin was found liable for millions in a 2022 civil trial concerning the lawsuit, Powers was exonerated in that case.
Criminal defense attorney Duncan Levin, a former federal prosecutor, noted that the government might have uncovered new evidence since the civil trial or consulted different witnesses to strengthen their case beyond what was previously presented.
According to Wedding Style, Jennifer once described their relationship saying, “We’re extremely close, understand one another, and love with everything we have; now that we’re married we know we will be together forever.”
Steve, in a heartfelt anniversary post from 2015, praised Jennifer, stating, “I really don’t know where I would be today without my rock, my partner in crime, my true love, my best friend, the mother of my child—the one and only @superjenpowers. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I am so proud of the mother you’ve become. This journey is just beginning, and there is no one else I’d rather be with! I love you!”
Rubin has entered a not guilty plea concerning the criminal allegations and is currently held without bail, awaiting his next court appearance scheduled for October 20. The timing of Steve Powers’ court appearance remains uncertain.
