Haitian Culture

Haiti – FLASH : An American, sexual predator of Haitian children, sentenced to 210 years in prison

May 25, 2025

Haiti – FLASH : An American, sexual predator of Haitian children, sentenced to 210 years in prison
24/05/2025 10:04:19

On Friday, May 23, 2025, a 73-year-old American from Colorado, Michael Karl Geilenfeld, was sentenced by a federal court in Florida to 210 years in prison for sexually abusing numerous Haitian children in the orphanage he founded and ran in Haiti.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Michael Karl Geilenfeld, 73, most recently of Littleton, founded St. Joseph’s Home for Boys — a home for orphaned, impoverished, and otherwise vulnerable children in Haiti — in 1985 and operated it for more than two decades. During this time, Geilenfeld repeatedly traveled from the United States to Haiti, where he sexually abused the boys entrusted to his care. He also physically and emotionally abused the children in the home, including through physical assault and other forms of punishment.

In February 2025, a federal jury convicted Geilenfeld 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 between 2005 and 2010. Each of the six counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct relates to a separate victim who was a child at the time of the offense. https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-44347-icihaiti-justice-an-american-risks-30-years-in-prison-for-abuse-of-haitian-minors.html

During the trial, these six victims testified about the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of Geilenfeld and its devastating consequences, as did other victims, now adults, who were not named in the charges. Victims and witnesses also described the physical abuse Geilenfeld inflicted on his victims and the manipulation he used to maintain and financially support his business.

“The defendant’s sustained sexual, physical, and emotional abuse of some of the most vulnerable children in the world is intolerable,” said Matthew Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This prosecution demonstrates the Department’s commitment to securing justice for children harmed by criminals who travel abroad from the United States to commit their crimes. We thank our partners for working with us to ensure that the defendant can never harm another child.”

“This sentencing marks the end of a case built on the courage of survivors and the dedication of investigators,” said José A. Perez, Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “For decades, Geilenfeld used his position of trust and access to exploit vulnerable children under the guise of humanitarian work. We are grateful to those victims who came forward to report their abuse.” The FBI is committed to prosecuting perpetrators of crimes against children, regardless of where or when the crime occurred.

HL/ HaitiLibre

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