SEMINOLE, Fla. — A Central Florida bail bondsman is behind bars after facing several charges including human trafficking and racketeering as authorities say he also allegedly used his position to bond women out in exchange for sex.

What You Need To Know

  • Russel Bruce Moncrief is facing four charges of first-degree felonies and one third-degree felony

  • Authorities say he was arrested after several women alleged that they were forced to perform sexual acts for him in order to be bonded out of jail

  • If convicted, Moncrief faces up to 125 years in prison

In an email to the press, Attorney General Ashley Moody stated that Russel Bruce Moncrief, who owns several bail bonds offices across the state, is 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.

According to the attorney general’s office, four of those charges are first-degree felonies and one is a third-degree felony.

According to the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigations (MBI), Moncrief was arrested after several women alleged that they were forced to perform sexual acts for him in order to be bonded out of jail or in exchange for others to be bonded out.

In some cases, the women alleged that if they refused, their bond was either not paid or it was revoked all together, stated authorities, who stated that these allegedly happened to female inmates in Orange County jail.

The initial investigation came back in 2021 in a separate case after local attorney John Gillespie was arrested on human trafficking charges. Officials said the alleged victims also reported Moncrief during that case. 

Allegedly, he had been doing this for more than 10 years, stated the MBI.

If convicted, Moncrief faces up to 125 years in prison. He is currently in the Seminole County Jail with no bond.

Moncrief Bail Bond offices were searched in Orange, Osceola and Brevard counties.