By LARRY NEUMEISTER

NEW YORK (AP) — Retired financier Howard Rubin was arrested Friday on sex trafficking charges for allegedly trafficking dozens of women, including former Playboy models, to be sexually and physically assaulted during encounters in his Central Park penthouse in a soundproofed room described in court papers as “The Dungeon.”

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Authorities announced the arrest of Rubin and his former personal assistant, Jennifer Powers, on charges in an indictment unsealed in Brooklyn federal court.

Rubin was arrested Friday at his rental home in Fairfield, Connecticut, while Powers was arrested at her home in Southlake, Texas, authorities said. Rubin was expected to be arraigned later on Friday.

Messages for comment were sent to multiple lawyers for both of them.

During a three-decade career, Rubin worked at various financial firms, including Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns and Soros Fund Management.

Prosecutors said Rubin and Powers abused the women between 2009 and 2019 after recruiting them to fly to New York to engage in sex acts with Rubin in exchange for money.

They said Rubin and Powers targeted women who were desperate, including women who had previously been sexually abused, along with women who were financially desperate or who suffered from addiction. Once they were in New York, the women were encouraged to use drugs or alcohol to prepare for their sexual encounters, and they sometimes engaged in conduct beyond the scope of their consent, prosecutors said.

During the encounters, women suffered significant pain, including bruises and psychological trauma, and sometimes required medical treatment, according to court papers.

Rubin and Powers spent more than $1 million of Rubin’s money to recruit the women to participate in commercial sex acts involving bondage, discipline, dominance, submission and sadomasochism, according to a letter submitted to a federal judge in which prosecutors sought detention for Rubin and a significant bail package for Powers.

Prior to 2011, the commercial acts usually occurred at luxury hotels in Manhattan, but from 2011 to 2017, the encounters usually occurred in a two-bedroom penthouse near Central Park, the letter said.

The penthouse contained “The Dungeon,” a soundproofed room painted red that had a lock on the door and was outfitted with bondage and discipline instruments, prosecutors said.

They said Powers maintained the dungeon, cleaned it between uses and restocked the equipment, while also recruiting women, arranging their flights and managing fallout from complaints about the sessions with Rubin.

Rubin and Powers required the women to sign nondisclosure agreements and pledge that they were not under the influence of drugs or alcohol when they signed the agreements, prosecutors said.

According to court papers, Rubin has funded virtually all aspects of Powers and her family’s lifestyle since 2012, including rent on their Manhattan apartment; her children’s private school tuition; and the down payment and mortgage on their Texas-based home after the Powers’ moved to Texas in 2020.

Prosecutors said Rubin and Powers were sued for civil sex trafficking in November 2017, but a jury found at trial that they were not liable. The case has been appealed.

If convicted, Rubin and Powers each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life.

Ryan Sever was a 210-pound freshman linebacker in 2022. And early in fall camp, despite a wealth of talent at the position, St. Thomas head coach Glenn Caruso recognized the Benilde-St. Margaret’s alum as someone the Tommies needed to get on the field.

Playing a backup role on defense and starring on special teams — with three blocked kicks — Sever was a major contributor on the season, which saw the Tommies win in the Pioneer Football League title while going undefeated.

Three years later, Sever is a 230-pound stalwart on the Tommies’ defense, aiming to end his collegiate career with a bang. A second league title would come with the added payoff of qualifying for the FCS postseason in the school’s first season of eligibility.

All of which has Sever and his teammates razor-focused for Saturday’s league opener in San Diego against the Toreros. Buoyed by a 2-1 non-conference schedule that included a competitive loss at nationally-ranked Idaho, the Tommies know a win on Saturday against the team picked to win the league in the preseason coaches’ poll could be the start of something memorable.

“It’s been in the back of our minds the whole offseason,” Sever said. “A lot of the games we lost last season are still stuck in our minds, as well. So this offseason (there was) a lot of motivation, a lot of juice. The opportunity we have is huge; it’s something this university has never done.”

Offered Caruso: “I think what our players have shared and we’ve shared collectively as our goals for the season that this game is as big as it gets.”

Sever, who’s second on the team in total tackles (19), is one of the Tommies’ emotional leaders. To that end, he plans to address the team before taking the field on Saturday — not that he expects his teammates to need much help to get ready to play.

“I feel we’re a very mature team,” Sever said. “There’s a lot of leadership in that locker room. I think everyone understands (what’s at stake). We’ve been relaying the same messages for a long time now.”

Whether on the field or on the sideline, Caruso is confident in Sever’s ability to do the right thing.

“His energy and his passion are totally infectious,” Caruso said. “When you can be like that and be a highly productive player, that’s pretty special. He’s one of the more passionate players I’ve ever coached in my life, and there’s been a lot of them over 30 years.”

For Sever, it’s simply been a case of doing what comes naturally.

“I’ve been an emotional player — in anything I do — my whole life,” he said. “When I reflect on the sacrifices others have made to help me and the sacrifices I have made, I think it would just be a total waste to not bring the best I can every single day.

“Just so blessed and thankful for coach Caruso and the staff believing in me. And my teammates, as well. They’re the ones that get me out of bed in the morning, because I want to do this for them and for those people who believed in me.”

The Toreros (2-2) also played a challenging non-conference schedule. They opened with a loss to Cal Poly, beat No. 24 Southern Utah, lost to No. 4 Montana State and won last weekend at Princeton.

“The talent level is elite,” Caruso said. “They’re fast, they’re long, they’re athletic — what you would expect from a team that bases its recruiting in California. I think where they’ve grown in the last couple of years is their attention to detail on the defensive side of the ball.

“Coach (Brandon) Moore has done a great job of dispersing the talent appropriately.”

Adding another new wrinkle, the Toreros have put an emphasis on running the ball this season.

“Trying to slow that down is certainly going to be part of it,” Caruso said of the keys to the game. “And when we’ve been at our best against San Diego, we’ve been able to get first downs and moved the chains to win the field-position battle.”

That effort will be bolstered by the return of starting running back Gabe Abel and fullback Cam Miller, who will make their season debuts after sitting out due to injuries.

There’s good news on defense as well; both of the Tommies’ starting cornerbacks, Den Juette and Branden Smith, will be back in the lineup.

Coming off a bye week, the Tommies appear poised to give the Toreros their best shot. While the first three games brought plenty of success, Caruso noted there’s something else he would like to see.

“We’ve been very mentally tough and stalwart throughout each of the games,” he said. “But it sure would be nice to start out more productive in the first quarter. If given the choice of only one of those things I’d take the mental toughness and the growth.”

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“The Vision Plan is not perfect, but it is clear and concise. It is a 15-year, three-phase framework that sets enforceable commitments around housing, climate resilience, transportation, and social services, while strengthening maritime and industrial uses.”

City and state officials announcing plans to redevelop Red Hook’s Brooklyn Marine Terminal last year. (Caroline Rubinstein-Willis/Mayoral Photography Office)

On Monday, Sept. 22, I was one of 17 members of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Task Force who voted in favor of approving the Vision Plan, achieving a two-thirds majority as required by the rules. I was proud to cast this vote and wrote this to explain how and why, on behalf of Brooklyn Community Board 6, I came to vote yes. 

From the moment I was appointed to the Task Force, I have taken and continue to take that responsibility seriously. I worked off of CB6’s District Needs Assessment to ensure our priorities were not only raised but also incorporated. A big reason they were incorporated is that Rebecca Kobert and Arif Sunmonu’s contributions were invaluable throughout the process. Rebecca, CB6’s Land Use Coordinator, brought deep policy expertise and attended nearly every Task Force meeting with me. Arif, a lifelong resident of the Columbia Waterfront District, served on the Task Force’s Housing Advisory Group and ensured a most local perspective informed the housing discussions. Without their work, my own contributions would not have been as thorough.

The Vision Plan is not perfect, but it is clear and concise. It is a 15-year, three-phase framework that sets enforceable commitments around housing, climate resilience, transportation, and social services, while strengthening maritime and industrial uses (pages 10-15).

Housing costs are the most pressing crisis facing New York City. The plan delivers up to 6,000 new homes, with 2,650 units permanently available at deep affordability levels, including 250 units reserved for NYCHA residents from the surrounding neighborhoods. It also includes $75 million for affordable housing in Community District 6 and $200 million for repairs at Red Hook Houses (Vision Plan, pages 18-22).

These commitments will result in the construction of more than 3,600 affordable units, representing approximately 60 percent of the total housing. Just as important, housing will be built concurrently by multiple developers, with family-sized units required across both affordable and market-rate apartments. These are hard-won protections designed to avoid the mistakes of Atlantic Yards.

Climate resilience is built into the plan. The marginal pier will be raised to account for anticipated sea-level rise, and stormwater and drainage infrastructure will be implemented to reduce flooding (Vision Plan, pages 27-30). These measures will protect neighborhoods like Red Hook, which have faced decades of environmental neglect, and ensure that the waterfront is sustainable and ready for the future.

Transportation investments include pedestrian-first design, expanded ferry service, electric shuttles to connect residents to subways and ferries, and nearly a mile of improved greenway linking Red Hook, the Columbia Waterfront, and Brooklyn Bridge Park. The B71 bus is explicitly referenced, with a new commitment from the MTA. State Sen. Andrew Gounardes secured a comprehensive study on how to improve circulation and street safety from the water to Clinton Street (Vision Plan, pages 33-37). These are tangible steps toward reconnecting Red Hook to the rest of the city.

Social services and workforce commitments include a workforce training center, a Project Labor Agreement, targeted NYCHA hiring, more than 225,000 square feet of industrial space at discounted rents, half of it managed by nonprofits, a new public school, expanded community facilities, and over 28 acres of new open space (Vision Plan, pages 40-45). These are investments in people, not just property.

Equally important is governance and accountability. Community Board 6 will be the first community board in New York City with a binding seat on a development corporation. That matters. It is not just a seat at the table that can be pulled away, but a guaranteed role in shaping and monitoring the plan over the next 15 years (Vision Plan, pages 47-49).

The plan also allocates funding for legal support, enabling CB6 and other stakeholders to enforce commitments, particularly those related to affordable housing. This is a clear break from Atlantic Yards, where promises evaporated and accountability failed. Here, enforcement mechanisms are built in. 

I understand skepticism and opposition. It pushed us to make the plan stronger, and it will continue to drive accountability as implementation unfolds. The Gowanus rezoning and congestion pricing also faced loud opposition, but today they are broadly seen as necessary steps to address housing and sustainability. Most criticism of the BMT Vision Plan does not cite the plan itself, the pages of which demonstrate enforceable commitments that align with the priorities of CB6 and the broad coalition of area leaders, advocates such as Transportation Alternatives, unions, and civic groups.

After decades of neglect, the Brooklyn Marine Terminal finally has a path forward. This plan is for our district, the communities we serve, the borough of Brooklyn, and the City of New York. That is why I voted yes.

P.S. Over the last year, CB6 has compiled, and continues to compile, BMT info at: bit.ly/bmtcb6.

Mike Racioppo is the district manager of Brooklyn Community Board 6 and a commissioner on the Charter Revision Commission.

The post Opinion: How And Why I Voted Yes on the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Plan appeared first on City Limits.

After Minnesota decided to go all-in on J.J. McCarthy, and Aaron Rodgers finally signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh, it appeared Sunday’s game between the Vikings and Steelers was set for high drama — as in more than just who wins or loses the game.

Afterward, it seemed, there would be a referendum on whether Minnesota’s brain trust made the right choice in passing on Rodgers. While no quarterback matchup is truly a head-to-head contest, it would at least allow fans give it the old eye test.

Instead, Sunday morning’s game in Dublin will present Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah with the only head-to-head comparison that really matters right now: McCarthy vs. Carson Wentz.

Sidelined by a high-ankle sprain suffered in a 22-6 loss to Atlanta Week 2, McCarthy has been temporarily supplanted by Wentz, an 11-year pro who took over the offense and looked terrific in a 48-10 victory over Cincinnati last week at U.S. Bank Stadium.

O’Connell declined to answer a question Wednesday about whether McCarthy will automatically regain the starting job when he is healthy, because he’s not an idiot. Wentz didn’t look like Dan Fouts last Sunday, but he was just plain good, an accurate passer who looked absolutely at home in this offense despite not having a training camp to prepare.

After one game, O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah have to be wondering if Wentz, 32, can be this year’s Sam Darnold, who joined the team on a one-year deal last year and led the Vikings to a 14-2 record before the team was just outclassed by Detroit and, in the playoffs, the Los Angeles Rams.

The coach and GM have a decision to make, and Wentz can make it easier — if not definitive — by running the point in another victory Sunday. He doesn’t have to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns, just use his experience to keep the chains moving. Mostly, he needs to show he won’t be rattled; that’s the biggest advantage Wentz has over McCarthy.

McCarthy, 22, had an admirable NFL debut, rallying the Vikings to beat the Bears in a Monday Night game in Chicago. There are a lot of reasons to believe he can be an excellent pro quarterback — from his size and arm strength to what we saw of his competitive spirit at Soldier Field. But there is no getting around the fact that he looked lost against the Falcons.

If the Vikings are serious about trying to win a Super Bowl — and with this defense and backfield, they should be — they need to be able to rely on their quarterback to make the right plays when required.

That’s an awful lot to ask of a quarterback playing his first NFL season, especially someone who hadn’t seen defenders in his face since he led Michigan past Washington in the 2024 NCAA championship game. McCarthy apparently has a beautiful mind, but when there are 11 guys suddenly stepping into gaps and running at you with malice in their eyes, well, it takes some getting used to.

Aaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is sacked by Milton Williams #97 of the New England Patriots during the first half at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 21, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)

O’Connell knows this first-hand, as a player and a coach, which is why some of us were surprised when he told his friend Rodgers that the Vikings felt strongly that McCarthy was the answer. He was bound to run into challenges, though to be fair, with the regular-season opener on the doorstep, they traded backup Sam Howell to Philadelphia and signed idled free agent Wentz.

This game is no longer about Rodgers, it’s about Wentz.

O’Connell, a celebrated quarterback whisperer, righted Darnold’s floundering career. Can he help Wentz, the No. 2 pick in the 2016 draft, win the Super Bowl stolen from him by a late knee injury in 2019?

That’s what matters now. Rodgers has a rare chance to show a team, and a friend, on the other sideline that they made a mistake by not accepting his help. But if Wentz can do it again on Sunday, the storyline in Minnesota will be quarterback controversy.

That’s generally a problem for any football team, but for the Vikings, it would be a good problem to have.

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