Bondsman Accused Of Bailing Women Out Of Jail In Exchange For Sex

Crime

A Florida bail bondsman was arrested for allegedly asking incarcerated women for sex in exchange for bailing them out, Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Tuesday.

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

According to Moody, Moncrief targeted women in county jail and others who had been arrested on prostitution and/or drug charges. After bailing the women out, Moncrief maintained his power over them by threatening to revoke their bonds.

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

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

Moncrief’s charges come a year after the arrest of a local defense attorney, John Gillespie, on similar allegations, TV station WKMG reports.

“Victims of Gillespie alleged that they had to have sex with Bruce Moncrief … in exchange for being bonded out of jail or in exchange for others being bonded out of jail,” said a Florida law enforcement release cited by WKMG.

According to court records Gillespie was found incompetent to proceed and remains in Orange County Jail.

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An attorney representing Moncrief did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for a statement, but told WKMG that the defendant “he denies any and all of these allegations.”

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

Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.