On September 27, 2025, federal authorities arrested Jennifer Powers, a 45-year-old resident of Southlake, Texas (a suburb north of Dallas), on charges of sex trafficking and transporting women across state lines for illegal sexual activity. Powers, a married mother of three, had recently worked as a substitute teacher in the Carroll Independent School District (Carroll ISD), which serves the affluent Southlake community. She was hired in August 2024 and assigned to Old Union Elementary School but was released from her position last month as soon as the charges surfaced, according to district officials.
Background and Allegations
Powers is accused of collaborating with her former boss, 70-year-old retired New York financier Howard Rubin, over a decade-long period from 2009 to 2019. As Rubin’s personal assistant in Manhattan, Powers allegedly:
• Recruited dozens of women—often targeting former Playboy models via social media—under false pretenses about the nature of the encounters.
• Arranged their travel to New York City, accommodations in luxury hotels, and flights.
• Procured BDSM equipment, enforced non-disclosure agreements, and handled payments (directed by Rubin) after the sessions.
• Managed complaints from victims who reported nonconsensual acts, including physical violence that left some unconscious, bruised, or maimed.
The encounters reportedly took place in Rubin’s penthouse on 57th Street, where he converted a bedroom into a soundproof “sex dungeon” painted red and equipped with bondage and sadomasochism tools. Prosecutors describe the acts as involving “bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, and sadomasochism,” with Rubin frequently exceeding the women’s consent through violent abuse.
In exchange, Rubin allegedly funneled millions of dollars to Powers—totaling around $8 million between 2018 and 2023—to support her lifestyle, including rent on her Manhattan apartment, private school tuition for her children, the down payment and mortgage on her Southlake home, legal fees, and credit card bills. Rubin also faces separate bank fraud charges for misrepresentations made during the financing of Powers’ Texas mortgage.
Rubin was arrested in Connecticut and pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in federal court in Brooklyn, New York. Powers was arrested at her Southlake home and initially appeared in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, where she was released on bond with a GPS ankle monitor. She pleaded not guilty during her New York arraignment on October 1, 2025, and is scheduled for further proceedings.
Connection to Texas Education System
The case has raised concerns about how Powers obtained a Texas teaching certificate and employment despite her alleged past. Powers, a Texas native, moved her family from New York to Southlake in 2020. Carroll ISD stated that all hires, including substitutes, undergo mandatory background checks, including fingerprint-based national criminal history reviews through the FBI and Texas Department of Public Safety. However, the alleged crimes occurred years before her move to Texas, and it’s unclear if they appeared in public records at the time of her certification or hiring.
Texas Education Agency (TEA) records show Powers held a valid teaching certificate, but details on its issuance process in her case are not publicly detailed in reports. Critics, including local education watchdogs, have questioned the thoroughness of interstate background checks for educators with out-of-state histories. A prior civil lawsuit against Powers and Rubin (dismissed in 2022) alleged similar misconduct but did not result in criminal charges until this federal indictment.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. emphasized in a statement: “Today’s arrests show that no one who engages in sex trafficking… is above the law, and that they will be brought to justice. Human beings are not chattel to be exploited for sex and sadistically abused.”
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, with potential penalties including decades in prison if convicted. Powers’ attorney has described her as a “stay-at-home mother” and maintains her innocence. No students were involved in the allegations, and Carroll ISD has confirmed Powers had no further access to schools after her release.
This incident is unrelated to other recent Texas teacher arrests for sex crimes involving students, which have been reported separately in districts like Donna ISD, Texas City ISD, and Comal ISD. For more on those, see TEA’s educator investigations page.
Very sad