A jealous Soho real estate investor subjected his much younger girlfriend to a campaign of rape, bondage and humiliation, a shocking new lawsuit charges.
“I want you to suffer like Hitler made people suffer,” Steve Kogut, 60, would seethe as he sexually brutalized the young woman in their Greenwich Street loft, the lawsuit alleges.
The two met in October 2013 — she was a struggling writer, 35 years old, and he was a millionaire developer who owned a shopping center in Harrison, Pa., and a lavish home in Far Hills, NJ.
“He was very charming and romantic when we first met,” said the woman, whose lawyer, Derek Smith, filed her lawsuit anonymously in Manhattan federal court. “And it was hard to believe he turned into this monster.”
In April 2014, they moved into a loft at Greenwich and Canal streets, now listed for sale at $5.5 million. That is when the abuse began, she alleges.
Kogut would fly into jealous rages, she says, during which he would force her to have sex with him, threaten to kill her, pull her around the apartment by her nipples and force her to watch violent porn, she alleges.
“I’ll punch myself in the eye and I’ll blame you,” Kogut allegedly seethed during one attack, the suit states.
“I know how the police work. I get the police. I have experience with cops and how to press charges,” the suit says he claimed. She never pressed charges, she conceded, fearing his threats.
Then, after the violence, he’d lavish her with kisses, apologies and gifts, including Hermes jewelry, designer clothing and a Rolex watch. And he’d swear he’d stop beating her.
“It’s amazing to me that he convinced me he’s this great guy,” she told The Post.
In July 2014 — after 10 months of hell — he threw her down a flight of steps in their building, and she finally left, the suit says.
She seeks unspecified compensation from Kogut, who did not respond to requests for comment.