An elderly Central Florida bail bondsman was arrested on human trafficking and racketeering charges following a three-year investigation headed by the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI).
According to MBI, 75-year-old Russell Bruce Moncrief allegedly used his position as a bondsman to prey on women in the criminal justice system, offering them bond in exchange for sex. He is also being accused of making threats to revoke or deny the victims’ bonds if they refused to comply.
After conducting a lengthy investigation into the allegations against Moncrief, MBI believes that he “exploited vulnerable women this way for over a decade.”
Moncrief is the owner of Moncrief Bail Bonds, which was founded in Orlando in 1978. The company operates in Orange, Osceola, Brevard, and Pinellas counties, according to its website.
In a press release, Attorney General Ashley Moody referred to Moncrief’s alleged actions in this case as “sickening,” stating that he “continued to use his power over (the victims) after bailing them out of jail.” Specifically, Moncrief allegedly “(sold) the women for sex to others for his own financial gain.”
Moody further claimed that Moncrief would “use threats of revoking, pulling or violating the (victims’) bonds as a form of force, fraud or coercion.”
On Tuesday, October 29, Moncrief was arrested by the Orange County Fugitive Unit. He was transported to Seminole County Jail, where he is currently being held without bond.
Moncrief is being 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.
If convicted, Moncrief could face a lengthy prison sentence of up to 125 years.