Portland Arsonists Attack ICE… Cube

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Portland Arsonists Attack ICE… Cube

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) On Tuesday, arsonists targeted the tour bus of rapper Ice Cube’s crew after apparently mistaking the hip-hop legend for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A representative of the rapper (real name O’Shea Jackson Sr.) confirmed that a bus from his Truth to Power: 4 Decades of Attitude Tour was firebombed in downtown Portland following a Monday night performance at the Portland Moda Center, the Gateway Pundit reported.

It was likely an act of “random vandalism,” according to his publicist, Tresa Sanders.

“I’m not taking this incident as a personal attack,” Sanders said. “A coward like that would burn anybody’s property that was out there at the time.”

However, Portland Fire & Rescue, which responded to the burning bus call, said the matter remained under investigation as of Friday.

The official Ice Cube account on X appeared to make reference to the arson in a lighthearted post on Thursday, as he returned to his home state of California.

“Portland was smokin’. Oakland, what you got for me tonight?” it said. 

Jackson’s former supergroup, N.W.A., helped pioneer the genre of West Coast gangsta rap with their seminal 1989 album Straight Outta Compton. (Jackson was portrayed in a 2015 biopic by his own son, O’Shea Jr.)

The album notably featured the hit song “F**k Tha Police,” on which Jackson had lead writing credit.

Those anti-authoritarian sentiments have since been embraced by predominantly white anarchist groups like Antifa, which was recently re-named a domestic terrorist organization by President Donald Trump following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

But while left-wing radicals have leaned into slogans like “defund the police” and “All Cops Are B***ards,” Jackson has more recently moderated his own views.

He spoke publicly to condemn Kirk’s assassination, saying “You don’t never want to see nobody get murdered because of their opinion … That can happen to any one of us.”

Jackson also joined Tucker Carlson for a 2023 ride-along through South Central Los Angeles—where he made clear that he had no particular political allegiance, nor any love for organizations that virtue-signaled support for the black community without backing it up.

“You know, the NBA is full of great slogans, and they write ‘Black Lives Matter’ on the court and they do all those things, but pretty full of s**t when the rubber meets the road,” Jackson said. “Maybe that’s why they put the slogans on the court so they won’t have to do anything.”

In response to the ongoing insurrection in Portland against ICE and other federal agencies, Trump recently authorized Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to deploy troops to the troubled city, which was ground-zero for Antifa-driven terrorist activity during the 2020 George Floyd riots.

“I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary,” Trump wrote Saturday in a post on Truth Social. “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.

Patel Defends the Deployment of 274 FBI Agents on J6

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Patel Defends the Deployment of 274 FBI Agents on J6

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) FBI Director Kashyap Patel on Friday defended the bureau’s deployment of 274 agents to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 

The FBI said the agents were there to quell the handful of violent demonstrators that day. Patel said the deployment violated bureau protocols because the “riot” had already been declared by Metro Police. However, he didn’t address questions about how many of those agents were already embedded within the crowd in an undercover capacity.

“Agents were sent into a crowd control mission after the riot was declared by Metro Police – something that goes against FBI standards,” Patel said in a Fox News interview. “This was the failure of a corrupt leadership that lied to Congress and to the American people about what really happened.” 

Patel said agents are stepping forward with information to support the Trump administration’s probe into the federal government’s involvement in Jan. 6. 

“We are fully committed to transparency, and justice and accountability continues with this FBI,” he added. 

His remarks followed speculation that the bureau may have embedded agents before the protests began, raising questions about whether the operation was an inside job. 

The controversy heightened by years of stonewalling by former FBI Director Chris Wray, who repeatedly refused to disclose how many agents or confidential sources were present at the Capitol. 

President Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social, saying Wray “has some major explaining to do.” 

“That’s two in a row, Comey and Wray, who got caught LYING, with our Great Country at stake. WE CAN NEVER LET THIS HAPPEN TO AMERICA AGAIN!” Trump wrote, referring to James Comey’s recent indictment for false statements to Congress. 

Wray had long denied that FBI agents helped orchestrate the violence. However, he had also dodged direct questions about the number of confidential sources on the ground. DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz revealed last year that there were at least 26 informants in the crowd. That’s along with an untold number of undercover assets from the Metropolitan Police, DHS, and potentially other agencies.

In a 2023 exchange with Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., Wray refused to give a straight answer when asked if FBI assets posed as Trump supporters inside the Capitol before doors were opened. 

“It should be a no,” Higgins shot back. “Can you not tell the American people, ‘No, we did not have confidential human sources dress as Trump supporters positioned inside the Capitol.’” 

Comey Called Out for Lying about College Hoops Career

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Comey Called Out for Lying about College Hoops Career

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) Former FBI Director James Comey faces a reckoning for allegedly lying to Congress after becoming the first deep-state official linked to the Russia-gate conspiracy to be indicted by a grand jury on Thursday.

Now the floodgates have opened, with Comey’s long history of apparent lies coming under the media microscope, even going back to his days as a college student.

Prominent investigative journalist Paul Sperry said the 6-foot, 8-inch ex-spook falsely claimed to have played basketball for the College of William & Mary, although records disprove the assertion.

Comey appears, in fact, to have played intramural basketball, but long into his adult life he let people assume that he was on the prestigious Virginia school’s official roster.

In a 2014 interview with W&M’s student newspaper, the Flat Hat, Comey even claimed to have encountered his wife, Patrice Failor, during a hoops session—while acknowledging that her memory of the first meeting differed.

“She leaned over to someone I played basketball with at the gym and said, ‘Who’s that guy?’ and pointed at me,” Comey told the Flat Hat.

Later, after the two were formally introduced at a dorm party, Comey revealed that the chemistry was instant.

“She let me talk about myself for three hours,” he said. “Naturally, I walked away deeply in love with her, because she let me talk about myself, a habit which she has since fixed.”

The lie about his basketball exploits has been known since at least 2018, when Comey admitted in his memoir, A Higher Loyalty, to having come clean about it, according to a Washington Post book review at the time.

“When Comey cops to petty misdeeds, however, the self-criticism—and self-regard—is almost comical,” the Post review said.

According to the National Review, other outlets were just as brutal regarding his contrived confessions.

“The former FBI director is being pilloried from left, right, and center,” it wrote. “Perhaps even worse for him, he is being mocked as a pompous ass from left, right, and center.”

Nonetheless, Comey’s disarmingly blunt candor and self-effacing sense of humor have often been part of his modus operandi, used to launder half-truths and hide his egregious misconduct in plain sight.

Comey notoriously boasted that he had directed FBI agents Peter Strzok and Joe Pientka to lay a perjury trap for newly appointed National Security Adviser Michael Flynn during the early weeks of the first Trump administration.

“I sent them,” he told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace during a 2018 panel discussion. “Something I wouldn’t have done—or gotten away with—in a more organized administration … And I thought, ‘It’s early enough. Let’s just send a couple of guys over.’”

Comey has even copped to having an “imposter complex”—a tactic used during public speaking engagements to make him appear more humble and relatable.

But as Vanity Fair reporter Rob Copeland revealed in a 2023 exposé, it is entirely accurate since Comey honed his spycraft not in the intelligence community but in a private investment firm, Bridgewater Associates.

There, he exploited the company’s policy of “radical transparency” to implement and enforce Orwellian measures with “prosecutorial zeal.”

While investigating the romantic dalliance of a female colleague, for example, “Comey seemed to act as if he had gotten Al Capone on tax evasion—once Comey had her in court, he had an excuse to investigate her whole life’s story,” Copeland wrote.

The toxic combination of hubris and guile could prove devastating to Comey’s forthcoming defense.

As longtime investigative reporter Catherine Herridge observed in 2018, he has openly admitted to greenlighting the unauthorized leaks at the heart of his current perjury case—something he denied doing in his 2020 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Herridge now argues that the charges filed by newly minted U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan—which were rushed to a grand jury in order to prevent the statute of limitations from lapsing—may just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to holding Comey and his co-conspirators accountable.

There is considerable speculation that conspiracy charges, which have no statute of limitations, may be filed in Florida—likely under the jurisdiction of Judge Aileen Cannon—since the Biden administration’s August 2022 raid on President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach marked the culmination of a yearslong deep-state attempt to frame the president and then cover its tracks by classifying the evidence.

Comey continued to goad Trump over his apparent impunity—right up until his recent indictment.

Yet, with the walls of justice finally closing in on him, Comey himself may have put it best in a recent video professing his love for Taylor Swift: “I’ll bet you got pushed around. Somebody made you cold. But the cycle ends right now, ‘Cause you can’t lead me down that road.”

Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.

North Carolina Mass Shooter Says He’s a Combat Vet w/ PTSD

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North Carolina Mass Shooter Says He’s a Combat Vet w/ PTSD

(Headline USA) A mass shooting that shattered the evening tranquility of a picturesque, seaside town in North Carolina was a “highly premeditated” attack that left three people dead and five injured, police said Sunday. The suspect who allegedly carried out the attack on a waterfront bar was in custody.

Nigel Edge, 40, of Oak Island is accused of opening fire Saturday night from a boat into a crowd gathered at the American Fish Company in Southport, a historic port town about 30 miles south of Wilmington, Police Chief Todd Coring said.

At a press conference Sunday, Coring said the location was “targeted,” but he did not elaborate.

Authorities said Edge piloted a small boat close to shore, which was lined with bars and restaurants, stopped briefly and fired. He then sped away.

Roughly half an hour after the shooting, a U.S. Coast Guard crew spotted a person matching the suspect’s description pulling a boat from the water at a public ramp on Oak Island. The person was detained and turned over to Southport police for questioning, officials said.

Edge is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He could face additional charges, Coring said.

The weapon used was an assault rifle, although Coring didn’t specify what kind.

“We understand this suspect identifies as a combat veteran. He self-identifies. Injured in the line of duty is what he’s saying, he suffers from PTSD,” Coring said, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder.

Edge is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday, District Attorney Jon David said. He is being held without bond.

Among the five people hospitalized with injuries, at least one “is now clinging for their life,” David said. Some of the victims were vacationers from out of town.

Oak Island Police Chief Charlie Morris said the suspect was known to police as someone “who frequently hung out on our pier,” and that he had filed lawsuits against the town and police department over the last few years. He did not elaborate.

The district attorney said Edge had had “minor contacts” with police in the past “but nothing significant in his past which would give us any indication that he was capable of such horror.”

It was not immediately known whether Edge has an attorney to speak on his behalf. No attorney was listed on court documents. A call to Legal Aid services in Brunswick County went unanswered Sunday.

Investigators from multiple agencies — including the State Bureau of Investigation and the Coast Guard — remained on the water and at the scene Sunday collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses.

Officials did not immediately release the names of the victims.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

 

NYC Mayor Eric Adams Drops Out of Race

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NYC Mayor Eric Adams Drops Out of Race

(Headline USA) New York City Mayor Eric Adams ended his struggling reelection campaign Sunday, an acknowledgment that he was no longer a serious contender in the contest after a year of scandal and political turmoil.

In a video released on social media, Adams spoke of his achievements as mayor, including a drop in violent crime. But he said “constant media speculation” about his future and a decision by the city’s campaign finance board to withhold public funding from his reelection effort made it impossible to stay in the race.

“Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign,” he said.

Adams did not directly mention or endorse any of the remaining candidates in the race, but he warned of “insidious forces” using local government to “advance divisive agendas.”

“Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer (is) to destroy the very system we built over generations,” he said. “That is not change, that is chaos. Instead, I urge leaders to choose leaders not by what they promise, but by what they have delivered.”

Adams capitulation could potentially provide a lift to the campaign of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a fellow centrist who portrayed himself as the only candidate potentially able to beat the Democratic Party’s nominee, state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.

It was unclear, though, whether enough of Adams supporters would shift their allegiances to Cuomo to make a difference.

Mamdani, at 33, would be the city’s youngest and most liberal mayor in generations if elected. He beat Cuomo decisively in the Democratic primary by campaigning on a promise try to lower the cost of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities.

Three remaining candidates

In a statement released after Adams’ announcement, Mamdani took aim at Cuomo.

“New York deserves better than trading in one disgraced, corrupt politician for another. On November 4th, we are going to turn the page on the politics of big money and small ideas and deliver a government every New Yorker can be proud of,” Mamdani said.

Cuomo, in a statement on social media, praised Adams for “putting the well-being of New York City ahead of personal ambition.”

He also did not mention Mamdani by name, but echoed Adams’ warning about unspecified “extremist forces.”

“We face destructive extremist forces that would devastate our city through incompetence or ignorance, but it is not too late to stop them,” Cuomo said.

Republican Curtis Sliwa also remains in the race, though his candidacy has been undercut from within his own party; Trump in a recent interview called him “not exactly prime time.”

Rough showing in polls

Speculation that Adams wouldn’t make it to Election Day has been rampant for a year. His campaign was severely wounded by his now-dismissed federal bribery case and liberal anger over his warm relationship with President Donald Trump. He skipped the Democratic primary and got on the ballot as an independent.

Polls conducted in early September illustrated his challenges. One poll by The New York Times and Siena University and another by Quinnipiac University showed likely voters favoring Mamdani over Cuomo, with Sliwa and Adams trailing further behind.

The Quinnipiac poll suggested the gap between Mamdani and Cuomo could narrow if Adams dropped out. The Times/Siena poll suggested that if both Adams and Sliwa withdrew, Mamdani’s advantage over Cuomo could shrink even further.

Sliwa, though, has repeatedly insisted he will not quit.

“Curtis Sliwa is the only candidate who can defeat Mamdani,” his spokesperson, Daniel Kurzyna, said Sunday.

In recent weeks, Trump administration intermediaries interested in blocking Mamdani’s path to victory by getting him into a one-on-one matchup with Cuomo had approached Adams to see if he could be coaxed out of the contest with an offer of a government job.

Amid reports on those discussions, Adams called a news conference where he pledged to keep running and derided Cuomo and Mamdani as “spoiled brats.” Later, on social media, Adams called Cuomo “a liar and a snake.”

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

 

Gunman Attacks Mormon Church, Shooting At Least 9 and Setting Building Ablaze

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Gunman Attacks Mormon Church, Shooting At Least 9 and Setting Building Ablaze

(Headline USA) A gunman opened fire inside a Mormon church in Michigan during Sunday services before apparently setting the building ablaze, killing at least one person and injuring nine before police shot him, authorities said

Hundreds of people were inside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township when a 40-year-old man rammed a pickup truck through the front door, then got out of the vehicle and started shooting, Police Chief William Renye told reporters. Police believe he “deliberately” set the building on fire.

After the suspect left the church, two officers pursued him and “engaged in gunfire,” Renye said. The man was killed.

Flames and smoke could be seen pouring from the church for hours before the blaze was put out. First responders were then sifting through the wreckage.

“We do believe we will find some additional victims once we find the area where the fire was,” Renye said.

Police said they did not yet have a motive for the fire or shooting. Investigators are searching the suspect’s residence in nearby Burton. Authorities did not provide any additional details about the suspect, including whether he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church.

It was the latest of many shooting attacks on houses of worship in the U.S. over the past 20 years, including one in August that killed two children during Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis.

President Donald Trump said he was briefed on the shooting. In a social media post, he applauded the FBI, who local authorities said are sending 100 agents to the area, for responding.

“PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump wrote.

The church building, circled by a parking lot and a large lawn, is near residential areas and a Jehovah’s Witness church. It is in Grand Blanc Township, a community of roughly 40,000 people outside Flint.

The impact spread quickly to neighboring communities, including the small city that shares a name with the township.

“Although we are two separate governmental units, we are a very cohesive community,” said city of Grand Blanc Mayor John Creasey. “This sort of thing is painful for our entire community. I’m struggling to digest all that has happened, and my heart goes out to all of the affected families.”

The shooting occurred the morning after Russell M. Nelson, the oldest-ever president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at 101. The next president of the faith is expected to be Dallin H. Oaks, per church protocol.

“The church is in communication with local law enforcement as the investigation continues and as we receive updates on the condition of those affected,” Doug Anderson, a spokesperson for Utah-based faith said in a statement.

“Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection. We pray for peace and healing for all involved.”

Some striking nurses at nearby Henry Ford Hospital left the picket line and ran the short distance to the church to help first responders, Teamsters Local 332 President Dan Glass learned about the shooting.

“Human lives matter more than our labor dispute.” Glass said.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

 

Kimmel Back on All Stations After Short-Lived Suspension

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Kimmel Back on All Stations After Short-Lived Suspension

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Nexstar and Sinclair, the parent companies of several ABC affiliates, have lifted their suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! — but not before shutting down unsubstantiated claims that the move was driven by the Trump administration. 

Both companies said in separate statements that their decision to preempt the show was made independently of one another and in direct response to Kimmel’s sickening comments about Charlie Kirk’s death. 

“To be clear, our commitment to those principles has guided our decisions throughout this process, independent of any external influence from government agencies or individuals,” Nexstar said Friday. 

Meanwhile, Sinclair added Thursday: “Our decision to preempt this program was independent of any government interaction or influence. Free speech provides broadcasters with the right to exercise judgment as to the content on their local stations.” 

These remarks directly debunked legacy media and Democratic Party claims that the suspension followed pressure from Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission. 

Speaking on the Benny Johnson Show, Carr said, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” 

Carr clarified his remarks at a New York forum on Sept. 20, saying that “Jimmy Kimmel is in the situation that he is in because of his ratings, not because of anything that’s happened at the federal government level.”

His comments came after Kimmel, a self-described comedian, accused “the MAGA gang” on Sept. 15 of “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

Those remarks, first uncovered by the Media Research Center, sparked widespread criticism, prompting Sinclair and Nexstar to suspend the program. Disney, ABC’s parent company, followed suit and suspended the show entirely. 

Anti-Trump Manhattan DA Drops Case Against Woman Who Assaulted Pro-Lifer

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Anti-Trump Manhattan DA Drops Case Against Woman Who Assaulted Pro-Lifer

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The woman caught on tape viciously attacking a pro-life interviewer? She walked scot-free after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg dismissed her criminal charges. 

The alleged assailant, Brianna Rivers, was initially arrested by the New York City Police Department and charged with second-degree assault after she punched veteran pro-life journalist Savannah Craven Antao during an interview in April 2025. 

Bragg — the same Soros-funded Democratic prosecutor behind the Manhattan indictment of President Donald Trump — downgraded Rivers’s charges to a misdemeanor before dismissing them entirely. 

The unprovoked attack went viral online, leaving Antao bleeding from a laceration that required emergency care and stitches. She also faced $3,000 in medical bills. 

The Thomas More Society, a public-interest law firm focused on pro-life and religious liberty cases, said Wednesday that it will file a civil lawsuit on Antao’s behalf to seek damages from Rivers. 

In a heartfelt message shared by TMS, Antao said, “Political violence should never be tolerated or given a free pass.” 

She also slammed Bragg for turning a blind eye to her assault, adding: “When those in power refuse to hold accountable those who respond to free speech with violence, it threatens the very fabric of our civil society. I will not be intimidated or silenced when it comes to speaking up for the unborn, and with the support of Thomas More Society, I will keep pushing for accountability.” 

Bragg’s office did not explain why the charges were dismissed to Antao. Headline USA repeatedly tried to reach Bragg’s office outside regular business hours but was unsuccessful. 

 

3 Dead, 8 Wounded in North Carolina Shooting

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3 Dead, 8 Wounded in North Carolina Shooting

(Headline USA) Three people were killed and at least eight others wounded late Saturday when someone opened fire from a boat into a crowd gathered at a waterfront bar in a coastal town in North Carolina, authorities said.

The shooting erupted about 9:30 p.m. near a popular stretch of bars and restaurants on Southport’s waterfront, a historic port town about 30 miles south of Wilmington. Investigators said the assailant piloted a small boat close to shore, stopped briefly and fired into the crowd before speeding away.

Roughly half an hour later, a U.S. Coast Guard crew spotted a person matching the suspect’s description pulling a boat from the water at a public ramp on nearby Oak Island. The person was detained and turned over to Southport police for questioning, officials said.

Authorities have not said what might have led to the attack at American Fish Company. Investigators from multiple agencies — including the State Bureau of Investigation and the Coast Guard — remained on the water and at the scene Sunday collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses.

Officials did not immediately release the names of those killed or say provide information on the conditions of those who were wounded.

Journalist Breanna Morello said the shooting suspect’s name is Nigel Edge.

 

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

 

Ex-Soros Financier Charged for Torturing Playboy Models in His ‘Sex Dungeon’

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Ex-Soros Financier Charged for Torturing Playboy Models in His ‘Sex Dungeon’

(Headline USA) 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.”

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.

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