FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIAL: ESTRANGED WIFE OF ACCUSED MONEY MANAGER SEX-TRAFFICKING SUSPECT HOWARD RUBIN INSISTS " HE'S A FAMILY MAN. SET HIM FREE"

Summary

Podcast Summary: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode Title: FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIAL: ESTRANGED WIFE OF ACCUSED MONEY MANAGER SEX-TRAFFICKING SUSPECT HOWARD RUBIN INSISTS "HE'S A FAMILY MAN. SET HIM FREE"

Date: November 29, 2025
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline

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Overview

In this episode, Nancy Grace assembles a panel of experts to dissect the disturbing and high-profile case of Howard Rubin—a former Wall Street money manager accused of operating a violent, years-long sex trafficking and torture ring. Despite mounting evidence, Rubin’s estranged wife is petitioning for his release, describing him as a “loving father and grandfather.” Grace and her guests lay bare the duality between Rubin’s philanthropic public persona and his alleged criminal depravity, probe the failures that allowed the situation to fester, and examine the deeper psychological and social dynamics at play.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Dual Lives of Howard Rubin (02:36–07:41)

• Nancy Grace introduces the main topic: Rubin’s estranged wife publicly defending him as a “family man” while Rubin faces staggering charges of sex trafficking, torture, and rape.
  • “If he’s such a great family man and you love him so much, why are you estranged?” (04:00)
• Grace immediately questions the sincerity of the wife's letter and whether she's motivated by love, denial, or financial gain.
• Rubin's public image as a philanthropist is heavily contrasted with detailed allegations of sexual abuse and violence.

2. The Sex Dungeon & Pattern of Abuse (05:44–14:45)

• Dr. Bethany Marshall (psychoanalyst) explains Rubin’s possible psychological motivations:
  • “A freak who has sexual sadism disorder. Somebody who can only get sexually aroused when the victim is humiliated, frightened, or terrified.” (05:44)
• Reporter details: Rubin’s “soundproof dungeon” was custom-built to facilitate these crimes.
• Megan Palin (New York Post) traces Rubin's career and the shocking longevity of the abuse:
  • Rubin was a well-known philanthropist who moved in elite circles, masking his double life.
  • “The claims first came out about ten years ago … it’s been known for some time.” (08:29)
• First civil suit against Rubin in 2017—raising the question: Why did it take so long for criminal charges?

3. Justice Delayed: Systemic Failures (09:09–15:50, 33:36–34:44)

• Danny Rubin (defense attorney; no relation) emphasizes presumption of innocence but notes the case's complexity.
• Panel discusses the slow law enforcement and prosecutorial response, drawing comparisons to similar cases (Epstein, R. Kelly, Sean Combs).
• Lynn Shaw (Lynn’s Warriors) describes New York’s elite as "the devil’s playground," criticizing complicity and silence among bystanders and gatekeepers, like doormen and medical professionals:
  • “Money talks. That’s all people care about ... People knew. Because we started hearing a lot of whispers two to three years ago.” (16:45)

4. Rubin’s Modus Operandi (14:12–19:31)

• Rubin lured women—often models—under the pretense of dates to luxury spaces, then physically abused and paid them after sessions.
• Use of NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) as a weapon—coercing silence after traumatizing encounters.
• Jennifer Powers's role as Rubin’s assistant and chief recruiter is scrutinized:
  • She arranged logistics, finances, and managed NDAs; paid lavishly by Rubin.

5. Psychological Analysis: Why Did Powers Help? (20:24–23:11, 41:48–43:16)

• Dr. Marshall posits that Powers likely derived satisfaction from facilitating abuse, beyond financial reward.
• Comparison drawn to Ghislaine Maxwell in the Epstein saga.
  • “In every organization … there is a woman somewhere willing to abuse other women.” (41:48)
• Powers and Rubin exchanged text messages about inflicting pain, indicating complicity and sadism.

6. The Consent Debate & The Victims' Plight (43:16–47:01, 55:10–57:10)

• Evidence includes incriminating text messages: “We gotta make her cry … this will be fun!! 😂”
• Defense argues for “consent,” but Grace and the panel dismantle this by pointing to the level of physical harm and victims’ clear distress.
• Dan Murphy (former NYPD): “They went up there thinking it was a date … they had no idea what they were getting themselves into.” (52:44)
• Victims were reportedly drugged, gagged, beaten into unconsciousness, then paid off.

7. Financial Crimes: The IRS Steps In (36:05–39:47)

• When criminal prosecution lagged, the IRS caught up to Rubin and Powers. The Powers family failed to report nearly $9 million from Rubin—tax fraud charges ensued.
• Telling quote: “If the local authorities … won’t lift a finger, the tax man will.” (37:24)

8. The Family Man Defense & Denial (51:27–52:44, 60:28–61:58)

• Mary Henry’s letter to the judge hails Rubin as a loving, devoted family man.
• Grace points out the disconnect and possible motives for such character testimonials.
• “Either love is blind or money has blinded her. We wait as justice unfolds.” (60:28)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Nancy Grace:
  • “If he’s such a great family man and you love him so much, why are you estranged?” (04:00)
  • “Translation: torturing women in his soundproof dungeon. Oh, who said that? Oh, it was me.” (03:17)
  • “He wasn't at home making tomato soup and cheese sandwiches. He spent hours and hours … planning and arranging torture sessions.” (60:44)
• Dr. Bethany Marshall:
  • "A freak who has sexual sadism disorder ... can only get sexually aroused when the victim is humiliated, frightened, or terrified." (05:44)
  • "Sociopaths wear something that we call the mask of sanity.” (30:31)
  • “Reuben could only get an erection by beating women up. Torturing them.” (30:30)
• Lynn Shaw:
  • “A woman doing this to other women? ... This is not just exploitation. This is evil. Evil happening.” (44:53)
  • “...there’s a big demand lately for these sex dungeons in people’s apartments here in New York. How horrific is this that people are normalizing ... terrorist acts?” (45:40)
• Danny Rubin (Defense):
  • “These things are alleged right now. … He's innocent until proven guilty.” (10:25)
  • When confronted by Grace: “...if you have to [judge clients], you have no business being a defense attorney.” (59:31)
• Megan Palin (New York Post):
  • “He was known for donating hundreds of thousands of dollars … but the claims first came out about ten years ago.” (07:41, 08:29)
  • Describing victim injuries: “…the breast implant … was flipped upside down because she’d been beaten so hard by Reuben with a closed fist.” (56:16)
• Dan Murphy:
  • “You can’t [consent] in a case like this. These people were absolutely sold a bill of goods … He’s a manipulator.” (52:44)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Introduction of the Case: 02:36
• Discussion of the Sex Dungeon: 05:44–06:07
• Who Is Howard Rubin?: 07:15–07:41
• Facade of Philanthropy: 07:41–08:29, 17:20–18:34
• Systemic Failure Analysis: 09:09–10:56, 33:36–34:44
• Role of Jennifer Powers: 19:31–20:24, 34:29–36:05
• IRS Investigation: 36:05–39:47
• Conversation on Complicity and Sadism: 41:48–43:16, 44:21–45:40
• Legal Disputes over Consent: 48:04–48:52, 51:27–52:44
• Victim Injuries and Aftermath: 56:02–57:10

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Conclusion

Nancy Grace and her panel methodically debunk the narrative that Rubin is a misunderstood family man. The episode exposes the ugly reality behind Rubin’s charitable image, highlights the systemic lapses that enabled prolonged victimization, and calls into question how privilege and power can insulate perpetrators from scrutiny for years. The panel’s discussion—unflinching, sometimes caustic, always passionate—makes clear that beneath surface-level denials and public posturing, the facts of Rubin’s case are deeply disturbing, and justice for the victims is long overdue.

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For listeners seeking even deeper dives, check timestamps above or find original segments with these voices:

• Nancy Grace, host/prosecutor (signature fiery tone)
• Dr. Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst (clinical but clear)
• Megan Palin, journalist (reportorial detail)
• Lynn Shaw, activist (impassioned)
• Danny Rubin, defense attorney (measured, legalist)
• Dan Murphy, former NYPD (pragmatic law enforcement)

Transcript

[Nancy Grace]

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[Narrator/Reporter]

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[Nancy Grace]

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[Nancy Grace]

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[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

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[Jacob Goldstein]

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[Nancy Grace]

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[Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)]

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[Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)]

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[Nancy Grace]

Stories with Nancy Grace. In the last hours, the wife of a money manager, sex Trafficker suspect Howard Rubin insists her husband is, quote, a family man who should be freed on bond. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us. Yes, love is blind, I guess. Former financier and depraved sex trafficker suspect, millionaire Howard Rubin is actually a loving grandfather and father who should walk free on $50 million bond. And he's got it too, by the way, says his wife, new court documents. If he's such a great family man and you love him so much, why are you estranged? Why weren't you living together in holy matrimony? Mary Henry writes a letter to the court demanding the judge spring her bond trading husband, Howard Rubin on a Whopper bail package so he can continue spending time with his three young grandchildren. Translation, torturing women in his soundproof dungeon. Oh, who said that? Oh, it was me. Has she lost her mind or is he paying her to write this letter? That's possible because this is what we know. Howard Rubin, multimillionaire financier, a money manager. That's what he's called, a money manager. He manages other people's money. Much like Epstein, Jeffrey Epstein, who apparently brought in, you know, a couple of million dollars, but somehow was transferring out $500 million to overseas accounts, including Russian banks that were on the US watch list. What is it with these money managers? And how does this guy, not Epstein, but Rubin, allegedly lure women, educated women, into his sex dungeon that he personally had soundproofed. Okay, right there, right there. I need a shrink right now. Let's go straight out to Dr. Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst joining us out of LA. She's the author of Deal Breaker. You can see her now on Peacock and find her at drbethanymarshall.com right there. A soundproof dungeon. I mean, when an artisan, a worker, gets a call from a dude that wants a soundproof dungeon, and you go in there and you see it's a torture chamber, doesn't that, like, wave a red flag of alarm? What freak wants a soundproof torture dungeon?

[Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)]

A freak who has sexual sadism disorder. In other words, somebody who can only get sexually aroused when the victim is humiliated, frightened, or terrified. And Nancy, maybe this is why he's a financial planner. Maybe he needed to make a lot of money so he could build that dungeon and buy all of that equipment.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, let's just take it from the top. Listen to this.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Wall street money manager Howard Rubin, busted by feds at his Fairfield, Connecticut home for decade long sex trafficking with the help of assistant Jennifer Powers, Howie Rubin accused of luring women into BDSM sex sessions, then torturing and raping them. 10 Jane does listed as victims in the indictment, but prosecutors say there are dozens more and are calling for tips.

[Nancy Grace]

Joining me in All Star panel to make sense of what we know right now, straight out to Megan Palin, senior journalist from the New York Post, who has been all over this. I mean, really now everybody here in the studio is piping up that it only cost $5,000 to soundproof a dungeon. I don't know where they have that knowledge. But that said, this guy, I wouldn't call him just a money manager, would you? Because he's, he's worth millions and millions of dollars. I don't mean one or two million dollars, I mean multi millions of dollars. And this has been going on for a long time. Why has it just been uncovered? But let's just start at the beginning. Who is this guy?

[Megan Palin (Journalist, New York Post)]

Howard Rubin. He grew up in Massachusetts. He's got a chemical engineering degree. He was very successful on Wall street once. He moved in originally as a. And then kind of climbed his way up through the ranks from there and ended up becoming so successful, at least financially. And he moved around in philanthropic circles. He was well known for donating hundreds.

[Nancy Grace]

Of thousands of dollars. Wait, put her up. Put her up. Megan Palin. You just said he quote moved around in philanthropic circles. You mean he was a benefactor. He gave a lot of money away. And everybody thinks, oh, Howard Rubens, this great guy that cares about the needy. Bs According to police, Megan, he is strapping women to the holy cross. You know, I don't know how you feel about that. And other apparatus and then electrocuting them and their genitals with an electric cattle prod. Now see, that's what gets my attention. Not his fake philanthropy, of course.

[Megan Palin (Journalist, New York Post)]

And absolutely it's what he was known for prior to while he was obviously hiding or it was a well kept secret in terms of publicly this extremely sadistic, dark, horrid side of himself, which is now. I mean, the claims first came out about 10 years ago. So he has been known for these things for some time now. But this is sort of.

[Nancy Grace]

Wait, wait, wait, wait again, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Megan, did you say that this, this was like an open secret? Everyone knew what was happening years ago.

[Megan Palin (Journalist, New York Post)]

When the first civil suit was filed in 2017. Yes, that's when it all first sort of coming. He started coming undone.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay. First civil suit was over was about 10 years ago. Okay. Joining me right now is a renowned Criminal defense attorney, a veteran trial lawyer, founder of Reuben Law. No, I assume Danny Rubin is joining us out of la. Danny, before you put on your defense hat and start arguing with me, can I just talk about the duality here? The duality of going to these, you know, $10,000 a plate. Philanthropic events. Dinners where rich people walk around sniffing of each other. And it's a scene. It's a scene like a nightclub scene. Or, you know, just any scene. The same people go over and over and over. And I'm glad they do because they do wonderful things for the needy. But the facade that he has created of this benefactor. While all the time the word is he's torturing women in a sex dungeon after luring them there. Just that duality, you know, you tell that to a jury, it's like putting a nun up for the defense. Of course they're going to believe her.

[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

I mean, I think that the duality is important. I agree with you. On the one hand, it might be a mask to what's going on elsewhere. On the other, he might actually care about certain things that he's donating to. But I do want to say that these things are alleged right now. They're not a given. They're not proven. And he's innocent until proven guilty. I think we have a lot more to get into before we can start casting judgment on whether Reuben did or didn't.

[Nancy Grace]

Reuben, anybody watching Crime Stories knows about the presumption of innocence. And as predicted, you only gave the first portion of that charge to the jury on presumption of innocence. And I believe you will agree with me that the actual charge is that the defendant is presumed innocent. I would like to see him, please. That's not him. The charge is to the jury that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until the state pierces and overcomes that presumption with evidence proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. You always seem to kind of like, leave off the last half of that sentence. Regarding presumption of innocence. Reuben is presumed innocent. He is innocent tonight. Unless and until the state pierces the presumption of innocence with evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. Would you agree that that is the judicial charge?

[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

I agree that that's the charge. But all we have right now as the public is the indictment and whatever's in the civil suit. I personally am looking forward to what. What transpires in this case. I want to see what the alleged witnesses have to say. A grand jury's heard it. I would like to hear it. I think the public should hear It. And I think as we get closer to trial date in this, if it does ever go to trial, we'll start to hear more and more about the evidence.

[Nancy Grace]

Danny Rubin, another question to you. And again, this is neither defense oriented. It's like a horrible deja vu. It's happening all over again. We just saw this with Sean Combs. We saw it with R. Kelly, we saw it with Epstein over and over and over. Where, as you just heard, Megan Palin with the New York Post state that there was a civil suit alleging the same things in 2017. Where's the government? Where are they? Why has it taken them seven years to bring this case to a criminal trial? I have a problem with that. What have they been doing?

[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

I think what they were waiting for was the trial that took place, I believe in 2022 or 2023. They wanted to see what testimony came out. I think that Howard testified in that case both at his deposition and then at trial. They want to make sure that they have a slam dunk case considering they have an egg on their face from the Diddy case. I know that. I mean, we all know that didn't go the way that the AUSA's office wanted it to go. Getting, you know, four years and change is not the. Was not the goal of the office. So I think now they're bringing this case and they want to make sure they have it ironclad. I can't promise you they do. No one really knows that yet. But again, as more evidence comes out, we'll see how well cooked this case is.

[Nancy Grace]

Guys, this guy with every advantage, still charged with major major offenses, sex offenses and more. Who is this guy? Listen.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Rubin is accused of luring victims, first in luxury Manhattan hotels and later his $18,000 per month penthouse apartment equipped with a soundproof sex dungeon. Women were bound on a bed, bed or across, then beaten and electrocuted while they were provided with a safe word. The pleas of those who weren't gagged went ignored and the torture often continued, even when a woman fell unconscious. Reuben allegedly paid the women several thousand dollars afterwards, including for injuries that required medical attention like a flipped breast implant.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, that sounds really painful. A flipped breast implant. It goes so much further than that. Lynn Shaw joining me, founder and director of Lynn's warriors, dedicated to the eradication of sexploitation of women and sex trafficking. And let me remind you, it is a non profit. She's certainly not doing it for the money. How is it that these multimillionaires mingle at, for instance, charity functions for 10, $20,000 a plate, for Pete's sake. And nobody will call them on their bad behavior. And we see it over and over again. There's Diddy, we pointed out. There's Rainier with nxvim. There is Epstein. There is R. Kelly. There's Jared Fogle. I mean, I could just list them off the top of my head on and on and on. Rich or famous people that get away with this. And it's in your backyard. Lynn Shaw. What you may have brushed ams with this guy.

[Lynn Shaw (Founder, Lynn's Warriors)]

I am living in the devil's playground. This building is around the corner for me, and it has tighter security than Fort Knox. Diddy was arrested directly across the street. Epstein was a neighbor. I ask you, where has everybody been? What is going on? Who was complicit with this? This Jennifer Powers and this Howard Rubin. And I'm not giving him a cute nickname, because I am disgusted in the name of all of the victims. How was this allowed to go on for so long? How did, for instance, doormen and medical professionals and other people. It wasn't just these two doing all this. Not see things with these women. And yes, in New York, they just seem to float because, you know, what happens in New York happens in other places, too. Money talks. That's all people care about. Money. Or taking a picture with somebody of wealth and floating around town and showing up at events. But you know what?

[Commercial Announcer]

People knew.

[Lynn Shaw (Founder, Lynn's Warriors)]

People knew. Because we started hearing a lot of whispers two to three years ago about this. And we also heard that women were warning other women, do not, no matter how much money is thrown at you, do not go and visit with this guy. As they put it to me, do not get near this guy. So I ask everybody again, we're on repeat. Let's talk about the victims. Let's talk about who's helping them. And let's talk about why the justice system is taking so long to do anything about all of these cases. I mean, who's next? I expect tomorrow another case to pop up in my neighborhood.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay? This has been going on for years. Speaking of the perfect facade. And this guy's philanthropic work, his charity work, and how many dollars he gave away to the needy. How many fancy galas he went to. What were the feds and the local authorities, L.A. law enforcement, my people blinded by his money and his local famo. I'm not blinded. Here is part of his facade.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Rubin becomes a Wall street commodity while he trades bonds at Salomon Brothers. Rubin profiled in Michael Lewis book Liars Poker for his contributions to the collateralized mortgage obligation market. Reuben goes on to hold senior positions at Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns and Soros Fund Management. Marries fellow financier Mary Henry and the couple is very active in the NYC philanthropy scene. After three children and 30 of marriage, Henry divorces her husband when he is accused of sexual violence. Howard Rubin and his former assistant Jennifer Powers have allegedly been trafficking and transporting at least half a dozen women across state lines for a decade. Most of these women were former Playboy models.

[Nancy Grace]

These women educated, beautiful, many of them models. And he would act like he's taking them out on a date. We've spoken to restaurant employees that state, oh, here comes Reuben. Here comes horrible Howie who had always had these beautiful statuesque women with him. They would charge like hundreds and hundreds, even thousands of dollars. Dinners and then he would take them up to his penthouse. I don't know where his wife was during all of this. And we're showing you this because many of them were modeled after this. It ruined their careers. That is when they would be lured into his soundproof sex dungeon. One thing that is perplexing me is a woman named Jennifer Powers. Jennifer Powers, his personal. Yes, her personal assistant. How does she fit into this? Listen.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Reuben tasks Jennifer Powers, his personal assistant, with recruiting victims. Powers is arrested at her home in a Dallas Fort Worth suburb. Accused of running the day to day operations of Rubin's sex trafficking scheme and being paid handsomely. Powers arranged the victim's travel and coerced them into signing NDAs that were later used to threaten legal consequences and public shame. Powers oversaw the victims payments, distributing funds from Rubin in amounts up to $10,000 per session.

[Nancy Grace]

An NDA non disclosure agreement. You've heard of those. That's where you get someone to sign away, usually in exchange for something. The ability to ever discuss what they have witnessed. Okay, who is Jennifer Powers? The devil's minion, according to prosecutors. Megan Palin joining us from the New York Post. Megan, who is Powers?

[Megan Palin (Journalist, New York Post)]

Power started out as Ruben's personal assistant in 2011 and according to the indictment quickly became basically his aide for this alleged sex trafficking scheme.

[Nancy Grace]

This guy, Howard Rubin. It's just amazing to me too, Danny Rubin, no relation. I hope he had everything going for him. He graduates with a degree in engineering. That's not easy. From Lafayette College. Then goes on and gets his MBA at Harvard. I'm sure Harvard is so proud tonight that yet another one of their MBA grads has gone on, gone on to greatness. He had everything going for him. How did he degenerate into this. You know, very often we see criminal defendants that, let's just say, are dope dealers. No education, rap sheet as long as your arm, starting in juvenile court. This guy was pristine. He had a choice not to do this. Reuben.

[Jacob Goldstein]

Yeah.

[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

I mean, honestly, everyone's actions are their own. But first and foremost, let me just say.

[Nancy Grace]

That's what you've got to say? Everyone's actions are their own. Please, Reuben, tell me something I don't know. I'm talking about someone with so much advantage. A silver spoon stuck down their mouth at birth. They've got it all, yet they resort to a life of crime. Horrible crime. This isn't a T by teeth, f by taking. This is not a $5 crack kit. This is violent crime on women where he would beat them in their face and their breasts. That's how that breast implant got flipped. That didn't just happen. I mean, how do you go from having it all to this?

[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

Well, there are two ways I look at this. The first, is he doing this of his own volition? Is it actually his own conduct? Or is it the product of mental health issue, as Megan talked about earlier?

[Nancy Grace]

Please let me see him say this. Okay. You are. You do have a straight face. This is a Harvard MBA worth millions and millions of dollars. Near $40 million. He had the sense to call and say, hey, can you soundproof my sex dungeon so I can torture flight attendants? Really? And you're saying there's a minimum? What are you saying?

[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

Saying it's possible. I think that we can't rule it out until someone takes a look at them and says, okay, well, what's the issue? There's certainly a divide and certainly something antisocial. If what's said in the complaint is true, if someone is actually recruiting to hurt them.

[Nancy Grace]

Antisocial. Okay. What? That's not a mental illness. Antisocial is. But you're saying mental illness and you're throwing in antisocial like that's misleading people to think that is a mental illness. Ruben. It's not.

[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

My point is that maybe I misspoke by saying antisocial. What I mean is that it's not normal. Normal people aren't making sex dungeons. Normal people aren't torturing other people. Just not done so. The question is, like you said before, why? Is it because he had the privilege or because there's something else that's a little bit deeper? Maybe it's both. But I think that.

[Nancy Grace]

Are you suggesting the state has to prove motive? You said that. The question is why it's really not. The state doesn't have to prove me. You do know I'm a trial lawyer, right? You can't just throw that out there and pretend and think I'm not going to hear it.

[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

Oh, I just think it's going to be mitigative. I think that if there is an issue of mental health, of mental health, it may come up later at sentencing. But I think the question is, and I would owe it to a client is to figure out why this actually happened and at least get them assessed. And like I said before, this is entirely abnormal behavior. If what's in the complaint is true.

[Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)]

Then the space hamster flew his hot.

[Nancy Grace]

Air balloon all the way to the bottom of the ocean.

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[Nancy Grace]

Hey Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a.

[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

Very happy half off holiday because right.

[Nancy Grace]

Now Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half the price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that means a half day. Yeah, give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront.

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[Nancy Grace]

Stories with Nancy Grace. In the Last days, former financier and depraved sex traffic suspect Howard Rubin is painted as a family man, a loving father and grandfather who should be freed on bond so he can spend time with his grandchildren. B.S. technical legal response. And this is why I bet you can't find one law book, one case that was actually affirmed on Peel that says antisocial behavior equals mental defect or not normal, as you put it, equals a mental illness. That's not gonna happen. Can you point to one of those books behind you and show me one case that was affirmed where that actually worked? Yes, I know. We've got the Twinkie defense, we've got the. The premenstrual defense, We've got the temporary insanity defense. All of those are legit. They've actually worked in court. But not normal or antisocial behavior has not worked as a mental defect.

[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

No, I completely agree with you. What I meant, what I. What I'm trying to say is that it's mitigated. I think that if there is, let's say, conviction down the line, certainly that's going to factor into sentencing. And I think that if you do have some sort of mental health issue, the question is going to be does it actually. Is it sufficient enough that he didn't understand what he was doing was wrong at the time? I don't necessarily think you'd get there without sufficient evidence.

[Nancy Grace]

Why do you think it was sex chamber? It was a secret. Because he knew he had to hide it. Because he knows that beating women in their breasts is wrong. Okay, you know what? I have mined this feel. I've exhausted it. I'm going to let Danny Rubin think about what he just said. Dr. Bethany Marshall, help me out. This guy did so much to conceal his behavior. And as, I don't know, Reuben might come up with a case that actually says differently, but I don't think think so. Evidence before, during and after an event, a crime can be shown to a jury. Why? What matters before and after the crime? Intent Course of conduct, frame of mind, motive. That shows. For instance, if you flee the scene, it shows, hey, I gotta get out of here. I know I just killed somebody or I just committed a crime. Keeping his sex dungeon secretive to me would be evidence of knowledge of guilt. But could you. You gotta hand it to Reuben, all right? He wins a lot of cases, and he said all that with a straight face. And I would say a good 50% of it was true.

[Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)]

Well, he said that Reuben had a site like a mental health defect.

[Lynn Shaw (Founder, Lynn's Warriors)]

He didn't.

[Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)]

That would be schizophrenia, Bipolar, something like that. He wouldn't have got through Harvard with a psychiatric disorder.

[Lynn Shaw (Founder, Lynn's Warriors)]

He.

[Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)]

Now, Ruben did say antisocial, which is a fancy word for sociopath. So we could hold that in the back of our minds. Sociopaths relate to others through cruelty and power. It's still not a mental illness. It is not a mental illness. It's just a personality disorder. Nancy, let's be clear. Reuben could only get an erection by beating women up.

[Lynn Shaw (Founder, Lynn's Warriors)]

That's it.

[Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)]

Torturing them. In reality, in the real world, he's a little man with a huge compulsion. He goes to these philanthropic events so he can mine for victims. People who are sociopathic. And I'm not sure, I've never seen him. But they want to associate with high network individuals. Because they can get something from them. It makes them feel powerful. It makes them feel big. And this is what he wanted to feel with his victims. Now, Nancy, he was very manipulative, okay? He offered them money. He would take them to these fancy dinners. And he used the term BD esm. As if this was like a consensual relationship with somebody tying another person up and then giving them a safe word. And when that person says the safe word, you know, you release the ropes. This was not that. This was a torture chamber dressed up as something different. And one final thought, Nancy. Sociopaths wear something that we call the mask of sanity. Meaning they know that they're different from other people in society. So they learn to move and act in a way that appears normal. So they can compensate for their defects. When, in fact, this guy had a compulsion that was organizing his entire life.

[Nancy Grace]

Bethany, please don't say defect anymore as it relates to Howard Rubin. Because Dan, Danny Rubin will hear that, and he will run with it. Claiming there's some kind of mental defect. Yeah, I forgot Ruben. I forgot to throw in about him graduating from Harvard. Good luck trying to claim mental defect. You know, you're bringing to mind Brian Kohberger. I hate to even say his name and his attempt to claim he had some kind of mental defect because he. Let's see. There were so many things he tried. He tried that he was under the spectrum, ocd. Oh, at the end, it was sad. He was even claiming Danny. He was even claiming that he had an eating disorder, as if that somehow justified what he did, or it should be a mitigating factor in sentencing. In the end, it worked out pretty well for him because he had a really weak prosecutor that kind of let him off the hook. But, Bethany, please don't say defect again, because Reuben of the Danny variety will run with it like a dog in a bone. Dan Murphy, former NYPD Detective Sergeant, Joint Terrorism Task Force, former Chief Security Officer, US Bancorp and star of Gold Shields podcast. Also author. Dan, usually I agree with you, but I'd like to point out that this is right down the street from you and everybody else knew what was going on since there was a. A civil suit back in 2017, but nobody in Le Law Enforcement did anything. Why was he giving too much to the police fund?

[Dan Murphy (Former NYPD Detective Sergeant)]

I wish I knew. I wish I knew why no one did anything. Maybe. Maybe no one had come forward and filed a formal complaint other than the civil one. And as odd as that sounds, there's a bureaucratic process to filing police reports, to getting investigation started. Perhaps that was the case. Perhaps someone looked into it and they decided they needed more. Sometimes these investigations take a long time to tie this up. One, this one up, right? You're going to want to make sure you have credible witnesses. You're going to want to make sure that you have corroborative evidence. And you're going to want to make sure you have somebody. Somebody flipping and giving this person up. I would look to have tape recorded conversations with him where he discusses this sort of thing. I'd look to collect texts and emails and anything else I could that can corroborate the stories being told by these victims. And maybe that was going on, I don't know. But I can tell you that the people I worked with in law enforcement, if we had learned about this, there would have been a case assistant.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Jennifer Powers would handle the operations, logistics, recruiting and booking the women's flights, managing payments, restocking his dungeon, and getting the women to sign NDAs, Rubin apparently spending over $1 million to fund the enterprise.

[Nancy Grace]

At what point do you look up and say, why am I restocking a torture chamber? I really didn't imagine as a little girl that I would grow up restocking a torture chamber. Who is this woman you just heard, Dan Murphy from Gold Shields podcast. Former NYPD detective sergeant that Dan Murphy talking about. When was the first police report filed? Because cops can't just go forward when nobody has made a complaint. Even though there was a 2017 civil lawsuit laying all of this out. Right now, the fed's actually asking for victims to come forward, much as they did in the Sean Combs case. But I want to get to Jennifer Powers because I find it very odd that she went along lockstep with all of these crimes. According to police. Listen.

[Narrator/Reporter]

For more than 10 years, Powers entire life funded by financial your boss, Howard Rubin, down to her itunes account. Reuben's funding kicks in in 2012, allowing Powers to afford a 1966 convertible Lincoln Continental as a wedding gift to her husband. The couple takes lavish vacations in following years when their children are old enough to attend school. Reuben bankrolls private educations and even a mortgage for a home in the wealthy South Lake suburb for Powers.

[Nancy Grace]

Holy moly. Okay, wait. He paid for Aladdin Lavish wedding convertible Lincoln Continental vintage. Pays for a children's private school and the mortgage for their home in a ritzy suburb in South Lake. Okay, you know what? It took criminal investigators a long time to finally try and break bring this guy down. But guess who is about 3 inches up their tailpipe. When criminal prosecutions fail, the taxman does the cleanup. Listen.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Despite Powers working part time as a substitute teacher in Carroll ISD and her DJ husband reporting just $40,000 in income since 2018, the family pays off $500,000 in credit card bills, lives in a home valued at 1.7 million dol. The children attend private school, and they take luxurious family vacations. The IRS finds the powers failed to report nearly $9 million in income received from Howard Rubin, Jennifer Powers former boss. The couple is charged with tax fraud for which neither have made a first appearance.

[Nancy Grace]

Ruh Roh. What happened? Megan Palin. I mean, if the local authorities, L.A. law enforcement won't lift a finger, the tax man will. Right. Okay, what is this all about?

[Megan Palin (Journalist, New York Post)]

Look, they've been living a life of luxury, by all accounts, for many years. Social media posts have emerged from Jennifer Powers that show them on all of these sort of luxury holidays all around the world. And they had, I think it was nearly $9 million in total given to them by Ruben. So for her, she's obviously benefited greatly from this partnership.

[Nancy Grace]

Guys, this would not be the first time the tax man did the dirty work for law enforcement. I'm sorry to say that. Right to your Face. Dan Murphy, former NYPD Detective Sergeant, Joint Terrorism Task Force. It goes on and on and on. I mean, you've heard of Al Capone, right, Murphy? Al Capone, the head of the mob. Him, Right. And you've probably heard of Wesley Snipes, the famous actor. MC Hammer. Remember the Hammer? It goes on. Willie Nelson, Pete Rose, Martha Stewart, all of them. All of them got into a tangle with the taxman, Danny Ruby. But when Ellie won't lift a finger and won't go forward, the IRS will. And you better run like you see the Grim Reaper outside your living room window just staring at you. Oh, yeah, and I'm not talking about, hey, you have to pay us back. They will put you in jail and you will rot in there.

[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

That is 100% right. And let me tell you, it is very clear that I am that anyone should respect and fear the irs. Everyone should report their taxes as they should. In fact, make sure you do it right. Make sure you do it often. They are merciless. And many times, as you said before, they brought down Al Capone. When Eliot Ness couldn't bring down Al Capone, when they couldn't find anything on him, the IRS did, and they got him for tax evasion and put him in Alcatraz. So it is a very stupid person who does not respect the irs.

[Nancy Grace]

Man, I'm telling you, like I said, Grim Reaper looking in your kitchen window. You try to make some coffee, there they are staring at you. Don't do it. You know, I want to get to the phenomena. And I've seen it before, Danny Rubin, and I'm sure you have, too, where you have a thug, in this case, Reuben Howard Rubin, AKA Horrible Howie. But then why would someone go along with his crimes? I'm talking about Powers. Why would she go along with it? I mean, she has everything. She's got this husband, this home, these children, for Pete's sake. What, risk all of that just for money? Hell, no. Why?

[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

I mean, it's. It's probably a number of things. Again, assuming everything in the complaint is true, we're talking about an access to not just money, but a lot of money. $9 million is a lot of money. And you're hobnobbing with people who are of very high social status and very high wealth individuals. I mean, you don't just get that access from anyone. And being part of that world can change you. Being part of that world gets you access to things you wouldn't normally get. And sometimes if you're asked to do something distasteful Maybe it's that access which keeps you coming back and then, and eventually you become dependent on it. You start going on, let's say vacations or private school or whatever. And you start to get those golden handcuffs where now you're roped in. And as you do things over time, potentially it doesn't seem as bad as it was yesterday or the day before. And tomorrow's going to be a little better. As you get more and more accustomed to can be warping to your personality.

[Nancy Grace]

Dr. Bethany Marshall is living high on the hog. Having all the luxury trips, the beautiful home, the Vint convertible car, the private schools, all that. Is it like an addiction?

[Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)]

No, I think the money is only a small part of it. I think in every organization, usually these kinds of criminal enterprises, there is a woman somewhere who is willing to abuse other women. Look, we saw it with Gillan Maxwell, with the Jeffrey Epstein case. What about the FLDS cult where there were women within that organization similar suppressing other women. So I would believe that. I would guess that Jennifer Powers has in her very personality or her character, the capacity for great cruelty towards other people. Otherwise she wouldn't do this. She seems very bright and like she could have made money other ways. Get a job, you know, for God's sake. But she must feel and take some secret satisfaction in women being punished, tortured, electrocuted and then texting this guy Reuben back and forth about it. So when women act in concert with a man to abuse other people, it is always Nancy. Because they are taking some pleasure and satisfaction from it. Beyond the monetary gain, that's just the icing on the cake. But they are sadists themselves, guys.

[Nancy Grace]

It's not just doing his bidding. When you see their text messages back and forth between each other, it's sick.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Listen, in text messages, Reuben shares horrifying details of his exploits with Powers. In casual conversation, Powers asks for details when Reuben says he used the cross in his last session. I can only imagine what you did to her on that cross. Did you shock her? Reuben responds with a complaint that his cattle prod isn't as strong as it used to be.

[Nancy Grace]

Lynn Shaw. This is the type of conversation that I would expect from a pimp talking to another pimp about how some of the johns torture the women or the girls. This is a guy in your neighborhood that attends all of these glitzy galas raising money. Yeah, him for the needy. A multi millionaire Harvard grad. And his hench person, the Beelzebub to his Satan. They're laughing about shocking ladies genitals with a shock device after forcing her, binding her to a cross.

[Lynn Shaw (Founder, Lynn's Warriors)]

Listen to what we're talking about, about Jennifer Powers. Do you know how disappointing and horrific she is? A woman doing this to other women? All of the cases I can think of, I'm sitting here trying to think in my mind, there's now a woman involved. They're doing all the dirty work. And this woman is laughing about all of this and taking joy. And I agree 1000% with Dr. Bethany. She really nailed it. There's something wrong with this woman. And my goodness, couldn't she even think of her children and clean it up and get out of this or not.

[Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)]

Do it at all?

[Lynn Shaw (Founder, Lynn's Warriors)]

But here's the thing. This is why we have women who don't want to come forward. Girls who don't want to come forward. They see another woman does this and they're seeing again, that dynamic of power, wealth, and they're seeing it wasted on this. And this is why we can't get them to come into court to testify. It's falling apart. This is another case, another example. And again, a woman doing this to another woman, I can't imagine. This is just not exploitation. This is morally corrupt. This is evil. Evil happening. And you know what? I'm just going to throw this in. A friend of mine in real estate said there's a big demand lately. She told me this about three months ago for these sex dungeons in people's apartments here in New York. How horrific is this that people are normalizing and becoming habituated to these terrorist acts?

[Nancy Grace]

Horrific on women. The majority of the victims are women. To Sydney Sumner, joining me, crime Stories, investigative reporter. In other text messages, Sidney Sumner. Isn't it true that this hench person, Powers, Jennifer Powers, speaks freely even in writing, in text messages and recorded conversations. For instance, I don't care if she screams next to a laughing face. Emoji words like this will be fun. Exclamation, exclamation. Another. She hates the myth. She's so desperate, we've got to make her cry. Stating that they will give the victim, quote, plenty of Valium so she can endure more pain. Repeat, we've got to make her cry. That's part of the state's evidence, is it not, Sidney Sumner? Absolutely. And not only were these conversations over text message, but on Ruben's work email discussing what was happening in that sex dungeon. So these text messages, evidence that Reuben was just so brutal, he enjoyed the women's pain.

[Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)]

It was a horrible situation.

[Nancy Grace]

And Rubin and Powers are just talking about it casually. Over text laughing about the victim's pain. Danny Rubin, the defense has a big problem when these text messages come out with the laughing face emoji beside their plans. Have you read this indictment? According to the state, the defendant, Howard Rubin, would conduct sex sessions, I say felonies multiple times a week, sometimes on consecutive days, one after the next, after the next. Where was the wife? Did she not notice anything weird was happening? It goes on and on and on. But when you have your client, Danny using work email to plan a crime, there be may basically let me just say creek without a paddle. They wrote it down, Danny, on the work email.

[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

Yeah, that's, that's not a great fact. I think what they're going to want to focus on is whether or not the acts were consented to. And I know, I know how the complaint reads. I know that there's a civil case, but just because some and part of it is they're going to want to introduce the NDAs. They're going to want to introduce the fact that there's a presumption of consent. Of course you can revoke consent at any time. Many of the women in the complaint said that they did. But they're going to want to show that there was consent and that it was not revoked, the consent was properly obtained and that this, this after discussion about what had occurred is, is going to be tangential to that consent.

[Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)]

Then the space hamster flew his hot.

[Nancy Grace]

Air balloon all the way to the bottom of the ocean.

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[Nancy Grace]

Stories with Nancy Grace. His estranged wife Mary Henry writes quote I understand far too well the series charges before the court. I can only speak from my own experience when I say they do not represent the Howie Rubin I saw. A caring father, a loving son in law, a devoted grandfather known affectionately as Pops. Well, that's not what the women called him as they were bound to a cross and tortured with an electric prod. Oh, sorry, misstatement. They couldn't say anything because they were gagged. Woman these women, many of them consented to a date. They did not know that they were going to be handcuffed to a cross in a dungeon and be shocked with a cattle prod all over their body to where they were screaming if they could, because many of them were gagged, according to court documents. They couldn't even scream. They would be passed out. They would be drugged. It's just. How can you consent to that? How can you consent to a crime?

[Dan Murphy (Former NYPD Detective Sergeant)]

You can't in a case like this. These people were absolutely sold a bill of goods that turned out to be completely and sadly incorrect. He's a manipulator. He's a liar. He knows how to get people to do what he wants them to do. He knows how to keep it Secret. He knows how to pay people off. He knows how to do all the things we've seen now in the Diddy case, the Epstein case, and who knows how many more cases like this out there. Money talks as well as persuasion. Manipulating people is something these people do very, very well. And in this case they did that. But it fell apart as they all do at some point. It falls apart. Now in this case, these poor women, they went up there thinking it was going to be a date, maybe they were going to make a few bucks, whatever. They had no idea what they were going getting themselves into. And that is a very, very scary thing. And I can imagine that the wealth and power of this individual and his world scared them into silence for a long time.

[Narrator/Reporter]

If you embarrass me in this hotel.

[Nancy Grace]

I'm not embarrassing you. It's just that I don't feel comfortable. Honey, don't have a fight with me, please. I'm not going to do anything.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I swear. My children, please come in on everything. I'm a famous guy.

[Nancy Grace]

I'm feeling very uncomfortable right now.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Please come in now and one minute. And if you want to leave when the guy comes with my jacket yesterday.

[Nancy Grace]

You touched my breast. Please, I'm sorry.

[Dan Murphy (Former NYPD Detective Sergeant)]

Just come on.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I'm used to that.

[Nancy Grace]

Are you used to that?

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[Narrator/Reporter]

Come in.

[Nancy Grace]

That was another all time a hole. That was Harvey Weinstein and he was threatening and coercing Ambra Battaliona into sex acts, unwanted sex acts. And the same techniques were used to. Megan Palin joining us from the incredible New York Post. Megan, the defense there and the defense here is that these women agreed to what was happening and then had second thoughts when it was over or it went too far. Bottom line that they essentially consented to the acts. Apparently finally Louisiana law enforcement wake up. Came out of their trance and started investigating this case and its file charges. They apparently disagreed with that theory of consent.

[Megan Palin (Journalist, New York Post)]

Well, I mean it's. It's pretty obvious that things change once they got there because even after the case, once they left this sex dungeon, there's text messages that have come out that show that these women were texting Jennifer Powers explaining that their injuries were so severe to various degrees and she was responding, telling them to ice them, to deal with them in other such ways. These were all sort of like it appears to be part of the management at the aftermath of things that they certainly weren't expecting to get out of it when they entered this apartment. Which, by the way, I know you mentioned earlier that you'd wondered where his wife had Been this penthouse was not his residential property. It was leased for $18,000 a month specifically for these sexual escapades that he was having met Megan.

[Nancy Grace]

I'm curious. You were describing how Powers, the henchperson, the secretary, as you managed the victims, what were their injuries that we know of?

[Megan Palin (Journalist, New York Post)]

Well, I mean, the most severe one that we've heard of so far was the breast implant that was flipped upside down because she'd been beaten so hard by Reuben with a closed fist that it had physically switched sides within her body and then later required surgery. Others were talking about bruising and pain to their bodies and whatnot. To the full extent of the injuries we haven't heard yet. I guess that's all going to come out at some stage, but they were severe. From the details that we have heard so far, particularly the breast implant.

[Nancy Grace]

To Dr. Bethany Marshall, I know you just heard our friend Megan Palin from the New York Post. To beat a lady in her breasts so violently it flips the implant. How does anyone derive pleasure out of that?

[Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)]

Nancy, this is what we call a perversion. And in specifically, this is sexual sadism, where watching the humiliation, the suffering and the fear of the victim causes the perpetrator to become sexually aroused. Now, what's interesting is that men with sexual sadism, they have a very hard time becoming aroused in normal ways with normal women out in the world. So if they were having lunch date or in a business meeting or something where it's an equal playing field with other women, this guy would have lost interest in those women. He can't deal with real people with thoughts, feelings and emotions of their own. But there is some theory that when that aggression and sexuality is processed through the same part of the brain, and in brain scans with these kinds of perpetrators, the amygdala lights up the aggression center of the brain, the part of the brain that's responsible for sexual pleasure also lights up. So these two things are kind of fused and confused. Aggression, arousal, those two things go together in this disorder. And also it's a compulsion. People with compulsions, as I said earlier, they organize their entire life around the compulsion. So everything you look at that he did, even getting married and having children, that might have just been a way to cover up his sexual deviancy so he could pass as normal in society.

[Nancy Grace]

Danny Rubin, veteran trial lawyer out of la. I got a question for you. It's a personal question. When you're representing people such as Howard Rubin and you're sitting there beside them, do you ever get totally disgusted, totally skeeved, out and just want to. Like, right now, even talking about this, I just want to get up and run out of the studio screaming as if I'd seen a monster. It's just, how do you do it? How do you quell those thoughts, that aversion, and keep a straight face and keep doing it? Because that's your duty as a defense lawyer to the utmost of your ability to save your client. How do you deal with that?

[Danny Rubin (Defense Attorney)]

I look at all the facts, first and foremost. I don't judge clients as to what happened. That's obviously, if you have to do that and you do that, you have no business being a defense attorney. The fact is, I look at the facts, I look at the documents, I look at what they say, and I look at what the testimony shows. And I want to determine what, if anything, our defenses are and then what the prosecution has to prove. It's the prosecution's job to get in there and make their case. And if they can make their case, my job is exceedingly difficult. That's true. And again, it's up to them. When I sit next to a client and a client is accused of this, I look at it just like that. He is accused. He is not guilty. He has not done these things until a jury of our peers says that he has. And it is my job to take a look at that evidence, to present the evidence to the jury. And the jury can make the decision based on the evidence that they have.

[Nancy Grace]

The estranged wife of financier Howard Rubin. Quote, he would never abandon his family. He has always placed them at the center of his life as they remain his greatest source of strength. She writes to federal Judge Brian Coogan. He would never abandon his family. Oh, well, where was he all those nights he was torturing women in his soundproof sex dungeon? He wasn't at home making tomato soup and cheese sandwiches. He always placed him at the center of his life. No, he didn't. He spent hours and hours and hours a week planning and arranging torture sessions. Federal prosecutors accuse Reuben of luring dozens. That means at least 24 women to his soundproof sex dungeon, where he tied them up, gagged them, beat them, and electrocuted them. But now his wife insists he's really misunderstood. He's just a family man. Okay, that's B.S. either love is blind or money has blinded her. We wait as justice unfolds. Goodbye.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Shh.

[Nancy Grace]

You won't believe what my new friend just told me about. About dinosaurs.

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[Jacob Goldstein]

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[Narrator/Reporter]

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[Nancy Grace]

O U n D this is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.