An elderly Central Florida bail bondsman accused of offering bond in exchange for sexual favors has accepted a plea agreement, shortly before his trial was set to begin.
On Monday, 77-year-old Russell Bruce Moncrief appeared in an Orange County courtroom and pleaded no contest to one count of conducting or participating in an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity, which is a first-degree felony. All other charges, including five counts of human trafficking and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, were dropped by prosecutors.
According to the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI), a three-year investigation revealed that Moncrief had allegedly used his position as a bondsman to prey on women in the criminal justice system, offering them bond in exchange for sex. He was also 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 investigators believed that he “exploited vulnerable women this way for over a decade.”
On October 29, 2024, Moncrief was arrested and booked into Seminole County Jail.
Moncrief was 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.
Orange County court records show that Moncrief will remain out on bond until his sentencing, which is scheduled to take place on January 8, 2027.
The judge has permitted Moncrief to travel between Brevard, Polk, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties. However, Moncrief must remain under GPS monitoring, and he must remain at his home between the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.