White Man Who Ran Haitian Orphanage Convicted Of Sexually Abusing Young Boys

Six Haitian men testified against Michael Karl Geilenfeld.

Michael Karl Geilenfeld, 73, of Colorado was convicted of sexually abusing young Haitian boys in the orphanage he opened in the 1980s, CBS News reports.

Earlier this month, a federal jury in Miami listened to the testimonies of six Haitian men who lived at the St. Joseph’s Home For Boys between 2005 and 2010 and said they were sexually abused by Geilenfeld.

Geilenfeld was convicted of one count of traveling in foreign commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct and six counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place.

Geilenfeld faces up to 30 years in prison for each charge. He will be sentenced on May 5.

In 2013, Paul Kendrick pushed accusations of sexual abuse against Geilenfeld after he and North Carolina nonprofit Hearts of Haiti, which reportedly raised money for his orphanage, filed a defamation lawsuit against Kendrick.

The two connected in 2003 after Kendrick became an activist following a visit to Haiti and met a director of a school for homeless youths, Douglas Perlit, who was convicted in 2010 of sexually abusing youth in that school.

Geilenfeld failed to receive any money from the initial suit against Kendrick and the defamation claims were dismissed.

“Geilenfeld really brought it on himself by filing the civil suit,” Kendrick said. “The government became more interested. I think the prosecutors were able to assemble a credible case that put this guy in jail.”

Federal prosecutors opened the testimonies with a young man who spoke about his experience living at St. Joseph’s when he was 12.

According to the Miami Herald, the young man testified that Geilenfeld brought him into his bedroom to help him learn a prayer. Once inside, Geilenfeld sat the boy in a chair and kissed him on the mouth, fondled his genitals, and attempted to perform anal sex.

“His pants were down, and his penis was rubbing against my behind,” testified the 28-year-old man, who pushed away from Geilenfeld and “ran outside.” He said Geilenfeld later told him “not to tell anybody else about this.”

Geilenfeld operated several orphanages in Haiti until 2014 and opened another in the Dominican Republic. Kendrick claimed Geilenfeld guaranteed room and board for the Haitian boys in exchange for abuse.

“He ran a kingdom down there. It was just terrible,” Kendrick said. “Does this (conviction) make all the abuse go away for the victims? Of course not. But it does give these guys a sense of dignity.”