Cops: Orlando-area man traded bail bonds for sex

The owner of a Central Florida bail bonds company was arrested on human trafficking and racketeering charges Tuesday after allegedly coercing women to have sex with him in exchange for getting bonded out of jail.

The arrest of Russell “Bruce” Moncrief, owner of Moncrief Bail Bonds, came after a three-year-long investigation by the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation found evidence he’d engaged in such behavior for over a decade, according to a press release from the agency.

He was charged with three counts of human trafficking and one of racketeering for using his company as part of his criminal enterprise, the release states. He was booked into the Seminole County Jail and is being held without bond.

The investigation began in October 2021 after Central Florida attorney John Gillespie was arrested on human trafficking charges and his victims alleged they were forced to have sex with Moncrief. MBI agents spoke with multiple women who said they had to exchange sexual favors with Moncrief to bond out of jail and that it was common knowledge among inmates.

The investigation found Moncrief solicited acts of prostitution or coerced women into having sex with him and that a woman who refused to have sex with him would not be bonded out of jail or would have her bond revoked, according to the release.

MBI executed search warrants at the company’s offices in Orange, Osceola and Brevard counties in August.

The investigation is ongoing and MBI urges Moncrief’s potential victims or anyone with information about these activities to contact the agency at 407-836-9701.

©2024 Orlando Sentinel. Visit orlandosentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.