The attacker allegedly assaulted the woman in her bedroom while her husband watched.
Police said the couple's two young children were in the house in Kannapolis, North Carolina, at the time but were unaware of what was happening.
The woman called 911 following the attack on Sunday. Police arrested her husband after claiming his statement didn't add up.
The 25-year-old husband, who has not been named to protect the victim's identity, reportedly became nervous when he was cross-examined by officers who were trying to work out why there was no sign of forced entry to the property.
After examining the couple's computer, police in Kannapolis said the husband had "responded to at least two personal ads on Craigslist in an effort to arrange for someone to come to his home and have sex with his wife using some type of scare tactic".
Police said the woman was not aware of the planned attack.
spokeswoman Susan MacTavish Best said: "We share the public's horror that such a crime was committed, and our heart goes out to the victim."
This latest attack follows the high-profile "Craiglist killer" murder earlier this year.
Philip Markoff, a Boston medical student, was dubbed the "Craigslist killer" after being charged with murdering Julissa Brismas, who offered massages through the "erotic services" section on the site.
after being threatened with legal action following the murder.
The popular US website, which is used by millions of Americans to buy and sell goods, and for social networking, has now launched a pre-vetted adults-only section, in which each posting will be manually reviewed by a member of the Craigslist staff prior to it appearing on the site.
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