Central Florida pawnbroker arrested on human trafficking charges

ORLANDO, Florida – A Central Florida bail bondsman has been arrested on human trafficking charges, accused of tying up women from prison in exchange for sex.

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

The Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) reports that agents spoke with several women who claimed to have engaged in sexual acts with Moncrief in order to secure their release from prison. MBI and the Attorney General’s Office said the practice was common among inmates at the Orange County Jail.

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According to the attorney general, Moncrief allegedly sold the women he tied up to other buyers and threatened to withdraw or break their bonds as a means of coercion. Investigators said that if the woman refused sex, Moncrief used intimidation tactics.

MBI investigators say Moncrief has been involved in this activity for more than a decade. His website says he opened his first pawn shop in Orlando in 1978.

Moncrief now faces three counts of human trafficking and one count of racketeering, which could potentially carry up to 125 years in prison.

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