Bondsman ‘sold’ female inmates for sex acts after bailing them out, Florida officials say

A bail bondsman ran a human trafficking scheme with female inmates in Florida by bailing them out and selling them to “buyers” for sex acts, prosecutors said.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the charges Oct. 29 against Russell Bruce Moncrief, a 75-year-old man who operated Moncrief Bail Bonds.

He’s facing three counts of human trafficking for commercial sexual activity, racketeering and unlawful use of a two-way communications device to facilitate the commission of a felony, according to court records.

Moncrief is accused of bonding women out of jail in central Florida in exchange for sex acts. He said he would bond them out if they performed sex acts with others outside of jail, according to investigators.

“Moncrief also sold women he bonded out to other buyers,” prosecutors said. “He would use threats of revoking, pulling or violating the females’ bonds as a form of force, fraud or coercion.”

He’s accused of targeting women charged with prostitution or drug-related offenses.

“The defendant used his position as a bail bondsman to prey on women in the criminal justice system,” Moody said. “After bailing his victims out of jail, he continued to use his power over them to sell the women for sex to others for his own financial gain.”

Investigators said Moncrief is connected to attorney John Gillespie, who was charged with human trafficking for commercial sexual activity of a child under the age of 18 and other offenses in connection with a “prostitution ring” in 2020, according to Moody’s office.

Prosecutors said some of the individuals involved with Gillespie also engaged in sex acts with Moncrief.

Moncrief is being held in Seminole County on warrants issued out of Orange County.

This story was originally published October 30, 2024 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Bondsman ‘sold’ female inmates for sex acts after bailing them out, Florida officials say."