Central Florida bail bondsman arrested on human trafficking charges

ORLANDO, Fla. – A Central Florida bail bondsman has been arrested on human trafficking charges, accused of taking women out of jail in exchange for sex.

Russell “Bruce” Moncrief owns bail bonds offices in Orange, Osceola and Brevard counties. Authorities are working to obtain his mugshot, but surveillance images of him are included in a detailed investigative report.

The Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) reports that officers spoke with several women who claimed to have performed sex acts with Moncrief to secure their release from prison. MBI and the Attorney General’s Office noted that this practice was common among inmates at the Orange County Jail.

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According to the attorney general, Moncrief allegedly sold women he bonded to other buyers and threatened to revoke or violate their bonds as a means of coercion. Investigators indicated that if a woman refused to have sex, Moncrief would use intimidation tactics.

MBI investigators say Moncrief has engaged in this behavior for more than a decade. His website says he opened his first bail location in Orlando in 1978.

Moncrief now faces three counts of human trafficking and one count of racketeering, which could potentially result in a maximum of 125 years in prison.

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