Bondsman accused of human trafficking faces judge for first time

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Updated  October 30, 2024 11:39pm EDT
FOX 35 Orlando
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Bail bondsman accused of trading bonds for favors

Russell Moncrief, a 75-year-old bail bondsman accused of trading bonds for sexual favors, appeared before a judge on Wednesday. Moncrief faces three counts of human trafficking and one count of racketeering and is being held without bond at the same jail where investigators say he targeted women for over a decade.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A long-time central Florida bail bondsman facing charges of human trafficking faced a judge for the first time today. 

Russell Moncrief, 75, is accused by the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) and the Florida Attorney General's Office of demanding sex from female inmates in exchange for bonding them out.

Moncrief owns Moncrief Bail Bonds and finds himself in jail now without bond. He's at the Seminole County Jail until he's transferred to Orange County to face the charges.

The MBI said Moncrief would use his position to exploit female inmates across the region by demanding sexual favors in exchange for bonding them out. The MBI said the dirty deals date back at least a decade.

"It is Mr. Moncrief's position that he denies any and all allegations, and he looks forward to proving his innocence in court," Moncrief's defense attorney Rose Feller said.

Since 1978, Moncrief has built a bail bond empire with multiple locations in central Florida. He owns offices in Orange, Osceola, Brevard and Pinellas counties.

FOX 35 News spoke with Brevard County defense attorney Geoffrey Golub for insight. Golub isn't part of this case and has never met Moncrief but said some of his own clients have used Moncrief Bail Bonds before.

"People talk," Golub said. "Not that you would know if there was any truth to it, but rumors would suggest that many people weren't surprised."

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The rumor, which is now a criminal allegation, was documented as early as 2011 when a tipster filed a complaint against Moncrief with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The tipster alleged the sleazy scheme "has been occurring for years."

MBI investigators finally zeroed in on Moncrief while working on another case in 2021. That spurred a 3-year investigation and a nearly 200-page report.

"One would think it's pretty rock solid," Golub said of the case. "One would think if it took 3 years they'd have a lot of information."

And they do. The report includes first-hand accounts from several alleged victims, hundreds of outgoing phone calls from just female inmates to Moncrief's personal phone and pictures and videos documenting his every move, including meet ups with alleged victims.

The MBI said many of the women had a history of prostitution and Moncrief would take advantage of it.

Golub says bondsmen hold the power in the relationship with clients who struggle to afford a bond on their own.

"The bondsman holds a lot of power because if he thinks you're doing something wrong or if he thinks there's a chance you're not going to show up, he can take you off the bond, and then you're back in jail," Golub said.

Investigators said if a woman refused to have sex with Moncrief she would not be bonded out. He faces three counts of human trafficking and one count of racketeering. It could result in a 125-year prison sentence.

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