A bail bondsman in Florida is behind bars for running a human trafficking scheme where he bailed female inmates out of jail in exchange for sex, authorities say.
Russell “Bruce” Moncrief, 75, who operated Moncrief Bail Bonds in several counties in Central Florida, now faces a slew of human trafficking charges, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced.
The Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation found that Moncrief would bond the women out of Orange County Jail if they performed sex acts for his “buyers” on the outside.
Moncrief allegedly sold the women he bonded out to these buyers and threatened to revoke or violate their bonds as a means of coercion, according to the news release.
If a woman refused to have sex, Moncrief would use intimidation tactics.
“The defendant used his position as a bail bondsman to prey on women in the criminal justice system,” Moody said.
“After bailing his victims out of jail, he continued to use his power over them to sell the women for sex to others for his own financial gain. Working with MBI, we uncovered this sickening scheme, and we will prosecute the defendant on human trafficking and racketeering charges.”
Moncrief has been conducting the scheme for more than a decade, according to investigators.
Investigators also found that Moncrief is connected to attorney John Gillespie, who was charged with human trafficking for a “prostitution ring” in 2020, according to the news release.
Moncrief is charged with three counts of human trafficking for commercial sexual activity, one count of racketeering and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communications device to facilitate the commission of a felony. He faces up to 125 years in prison if convicted.
