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Bondsman is accused of bailing women out of prison in exchange for sex

A Florida bail bondsman was arrested for allegedly soliciting incarcerated women for sex in exchange for their release, Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Tuesday.

Russell Bruce Moncrief, 75, the owner of Moncrief Bail Bonds, which has locations in several Florida counties, is accused of, among other things, human trafficking and racketeering, according to the announcement.

Moncrief Bail Bonds via Google Maps

Moody said Moncrief targeted women in the county jail and others arrested on prostitution and/or drug charges. After rescuing the women, Moncrief maintained his power over them by threatening to revoke their bonds.

Moncrief also allegedly offered to release some women on bail on the condition that they have sex with another person outside of prison. The attorney general alleged that Moncrief “sold women he had sold to other buyers.”

The Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation identified at least 26 possible victims and a number of potential witnesses over the course of its three-year investigation, according to an arrest report cited by ABC affiliate WFTV.

The charges against Moncrief come a year after local defense attorney John Gillespie was arrested on similar charges, television station WKMG reports.

“Victims of Gillespie reported that they were forced to have sex with Bruce Moncrief … in exchange for release from prison or in exchange for the release of others from prison,” said a Florida law enforcement press release cited by WKMG.

According to court records, Gillespie was found unfit to continue and remains in the Orange County Jail.

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An attorney representing Moncrief did not immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment, but told WKMG that the defendant “denies all of these allegations.”

If found guilty, Moncrief could face up to 125 years in prison. Court records show he is scheduled to appear in Orange County court on Nov. 8.

Do you need help? Visit RAINN's National Online Sexual Assault Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center website.

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