Florida bail bondsman accused of forcing women to have sex for bail | Florida

A bail bondsman is facing criminal charges in Florida for allegedly approaching incarcerated women and offering them release if they gave him sex in return.

Russell Bruce Moncrief is charged with human trafficking and racketeering – along with allegations that he used his authority within the criminal justice system to prey on vulnerable women, according to a recent press release from Attorney General Ashley Moody's office.

Moody's office said Moncrief, 75, would target women incarcerated on sex work or drug-related charges, including in Orange County, where Orlando is located. He would suggest posting their bonds to await the outcome of their cases outside of custody if they agreed to have sex with him afterward, Moody's office alleged.

The owner of the Moncrief Bail Bonds would also allegedly settle for “sex from someone outside of prison” as compensation for his scheme, prosecutors said. And he also allegedly made sexual propositions to other buyers with whom he did business with women whose bonds he had deposited, as part of what Moody's office dismissed in its statement as a “disgusting scheme.”

“After releasing his victims from prison, he continued to use his power over them to sell the women to others for sex for his own financial gain,” the statement continued.

Moncrief would also threaten to revoke or sever the bonds of the women he exploited – or falsely accuse them of violations that would land them back in custody – to force compliance, Moody's office charged.

Moody's office said authorities learned of Moncrief's conspiracy as part of an investigation into a former defense attorney, John Gillespie, who was arrested in 2020 on similar criminal charges. Investigators alleged that victims were also forced by Gillespie to have sex with Moncrief.

If convicted as charged, Moncrief could face up to 125 years in prison, Moody's office said. Investigators leading the case against Moncrief said his alleged bond-for-sex scam dated back at least a decade.

Moncrief was booked into the Orange County Jail on Thursday, records show. According to Fox's Orlando affiliate, a lawyer for him said at a preliminary court hearing: “It is Mr. Moncrief's position that he denies all allegations and he looks forward to proving his innocence in court.”

Moncrief has reportedly been in the bail bond business since 1978. In addition to Orange, his company, Moncrief Bail Bonds, has offices in Osceola, Brevard and Pinellas counties in Florida, the Fox Orlando affiliate noted.