Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
"HORRIBLE HOWIE: MONEY MANAGER LURES VICTIMS INTO SOUNDPROOF DUNGEON, COPS"
Original Air Date: October 7, 2025
Podcast: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace (iHeartPodcasts & CrimeOnline)
Host: Nancy Grace
Episode Theme:
A deep dive into explosive allegations against Howard Rubin, a millionaire Wall Street money manager accused of running a violent sex trafficking operation aided by his assistant, Jennifer Powers. The episode interrogates how wealth, privilege, and power enabled predatory behavior to go unchecked for years, the facade of philanthropy, the failures of law enforcement, and the disturbing psychology behind the crimes.
Main Theme & Purpose
This episode exposes the dual lives of Howard Rubin—once celebrated as a philanthropist and elite financier and now indicted as an alleged sexual predator controlling a sadistic, soundproof "sex dungeon" in his Manhattan penthouse. Through interviews with journalists, experts, and legal analysts, Nancy Grace seeks to answer, "How did he get away with it for so long?" The conversation explores issues of complicit enablers, the silence of high society, law enforcement inaction, the psychology of sadism, and the challenge of bringing powerful offenders to justice.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Allegations and Arrests
- Background (01:08–03:12):
- Howard Rubin, a prominent Wall Street financier, allegedly operated a secret sex trafficking scheme for over a decade with the “help” of assistant Jennifer Powers.
- Rubin is accused of luring women (often former models) to BDSM sessions, where they were violently assaulted and tortured, including being tied to a cross and electrocuted with a cattle prod.
- At least ten women are named in the indictment; dozens more are believed to be victims.
Notable Quotes:
"Luring women into a soundproof dungeon, even tying them up, cuffing them to a cross. A cross, the holy cross. Torturing them with an electric cattle prod."
— Nancy Grace [00:00]
2. The Psychology of Predation
- Expert Analysis (02:50, 25:11, 50:15):
- Dr. Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst: Rubin fits the profile of a sexual sadist—someone only aroused by the humiliation or suffering of others.
- Rubin’s compulsions drove him to lead a double life: public philanthropy masked private depravity.
- Discussions distinguish between personality disorder (sociopathy) and “mental defect.”
Notable Quotes:
"A freak who has sexual sadism disorder. Somebody who can only get sexually aroused when the victim is humiliated, frightened, or terrified."
— Dr. Bethany Marshall [02:50]
"Sociopaths wear something that we call the mask of sanity ... this guy had a compulsion that was organizing his entire life."
— Dr. Bethany Marshall [26:39]
Timestamps:
- Sexual Sadism Disorder explained: [02:50], [25:11], [50:15]
3. High Society Facade and Inaction
- Public Persona vs. Secret Cruelty (04:21–06:15):
- Rubin moved in elite circles, donating generously to charitable causes, creating an image that shielded his dark activities.
- Attendees and neighbors reported whispers and rumors circulating years before criminal charges.
- Law Enforcement Inaction and Complicity (12:55, 28:52):
- Despite a civil lawsuit in 2017, criminal prosecution lagged by years.
- Questions raised about how authorities, doormen, and philanthropic networks ignored or overlooked repeated red flags.
Notable Quotes:
"Everybody thinks, oh, Howard Rubin's a great guy that cares about the needy. BS. According to police, he is strapping women to the holy cross ... and electrocuting them in their genitals with an electric cattle prod."
— Nancy Grace [04:48]
"I'm living in the devil's playground ... 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 get near this guy."
— Lynn Shaw [12:55]
4. The Role of Jennifer Powers: Henchwoman or Victim?
- Recruiter and Enforcer (16:37, 30:54):
- Powers recruited women, arranged travel, forced non-disclosure agreements, managed payments—even "restocking" the dungeon.
- Powers personally benefited with lavish lifestyle upgrades funded by Rubin, including a vintage car, luxury vacations, and her family's $1.7M home.
Notable Quotes:
"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."
— Nancy Grace [30:00]
Timestamps:
- Powers' role and background: [16:37], [30:54]
- Text message evidence of her sadistic complicity: [38:32–39:37]
5. Money, Power, and Silence
- Lifestyle and Tax Dodge (31:21–34:29):
- Powers’ family lived extravagantly on undeclared income from Rubin, leading to IRS charges when local authorities failed to act.
- Reference to the “Al Capone strategy”—the IRS taking down criminals when law enforcement does not.
Notable Quotes:
"This would not be the first time the tax man did the dirty work for law enforcement. ... When E.L.I. won't lift a finger ... the IRS will. ... They will put you in jail and you will rot there."
— Nancy Grace [33:18–34:29]
6. Consent Versus Coercion
- Legal Debate (43:20, 45:48):
- Defense argues that some acts were consensual, given NDAs and prior agreement to BDSM activity.
- Host and experts emphasize evidence of non-consensual force, manipulation, and the inability to manifest real, legal consent to torture.
- Victims often drugged, gagged, and beaten beyond any agreed-upon terms.
Notable Quotes:
"How can you consent to that? How can you consent to a crime?"
— Nancy Grace [45:08]
"He's a manipulator, he's a liar, he knows how to get people to do what he wants them to do. ... They went up there thinking it was going to be a date ... they had no idea what they were getting themselves into."
— Dan Murphy [45:48]
7. Women as Enablers of Abuse
- Complicity of Female Accomplices (37:04–39:37):
- Examination of why women like Jennifer Powers (and in other cases, Ghislaine Maxwell) assist powerful men in atrocities against other women.
- Analysis suggests not just addiction to lifestyle, but possible sadistic personality traits.
Notable Quotes:
"In every organization, there is a woman somewhere willing to abuse other women ... Jennifer Powers has in her very personality or her character the capacity for great cruelty towards other people."
— Dr. Bethany Marshall [37:04]
"A woman doing this to other women ... this is evil. Evil happening."
— Lynn Shaw [39:37]
8. Chilling Evidence: Texts, Injuries, Victim Impact
- Texts Between Rubin and Powers (38:32, 40:56):
- Chat logs show Powers and Rubin laughing about victims’ pain: "We've got to make her cry," "I don't care if she screams," and "This will be fun."
- Communications occurred via phone and work email (demonstrating carelessness and a sense of impunity).
- Victim Injuries (49:06–49:53):
- Injuries included severe beatings, at least one woman's breast implant flipped from trauma, and prolonged pain requiring surgery.
Notable Quotes:
"We've got to make her cry. ... give the victim, quote, plenty of Valium so she can endure more pain."
— Nancy Grace reading from texts [40:56]
"The most severe one ... the breast implant that was flipped upside down because she'd been beaten so hard by Ruben with a closed fist."
— Megan Palin [49:21]
9. Legal Perspectives and Challenges
- Defense Attorney's Perspective (51:47):
- Danny Rubin affirms his role is not to judge clients but to test whether the prosecution can meet its burden.
- Nancy Grace pushes on the moral dimensions of defending those accused of heinous crimes.
Notable Quotes:
"He is accused, he is not guilty. He has not done these things until a jury of our peers says that he has."
— Danny Rubin [52:36]
Noteworthy and Memorable Moments
- Opening Shock Value: Nancy's visceral reaction to the cross imagery and the idea of a “soundproof dungeon.” [00:00–01:10]
- "The Devil’s Playground": Lynn Shaw describes living in luxury Manhattan as surrounded by predators hiding in plain sight. [12:55]
- “Beelzebub to his Satan”: Nancy Grace’s moniker for the disturbingly enthusiastic involvement of Jennifer Powers. [38:53]
- Al Capone Reference: Using the IRS to “do the dirty work” when police won’t act. [34:29]
- Comparison to Other High-Profile Abuse Cases: Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein’s methods of coercion and the role of silent complicity. [47:00]
Timeline of Key Segments
| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Introduction; setting out shocking details of the case | | 01:08 | Howard Rubin’s background and initial allegations | | 02:50 | Dr. Bethany Marshall explains sexual sadism disorder | | 04:21 | Rubin's double life: high society and hidden abuse | | 06:07 | Civil lawsuits and open secrets in 2017 | | 12:55 | Lynn Shaw: Whispers in society, failures of bystanders | | 14:57 | Profile: Rubin’s philanthropy, Wall St. career, divorce, and partner-in-crime | | 16:37 | Jennifer Powers recruited as assistant, then as accomplice to trafficking | | 25:11 | Discussion of mental defects, personality disorders, and criminal responsibility | | 30:00 | Restocking a torture chamber; Powers' full dependency on Rubin | | 32:06 | IRS Tax fraud charges when local law failed | | 34:29 | IRS’s role, with parallels to infamous tax prosecutions | | 38:32 | Incriminating texts between Rubin and Powers; casual cruelty | | 40:56 | Evidence of consent issues; text messages showing malicious intent | | 45:08 | Legal breakdown: the impossibility of consenting to torture/crime | | 47:00 | Harvey Weinstein parallel: Consent, coercion, and power imbalances | | 49:21 | Nature of victims’ injuries | | 50:15 | Psychological analysis: sexual sadism and the fusion of aggression/arousal | | 52:36 | Defense attorney’s take: how he mentally manages defending such clients | | 53:33 | Call for victims to come forward; closing statements |
Conclusion
This episode spotlights the imbalance of power, the psychology of predatory cruelty, and societal failures that allowed Howard Rubin’s alleged atrocities to persist for years. Through expert analysis, firsthand reporting, and legal commentary, Nancy Grace demands accountability not just from Rubin and Powers, but from a system that too often protects the wealthy and notorious. The episode closes with a direct appeal for victims to contact authorities, reiterating the need for their courage to ensure justice is served.
Victim Resources / Tip Line
If you know or suspect abuse related to this case, CALL:
212-384-3800
[End of Summary]