Michael Geilenfeld in 2024 (U.S. Embassy in Haiti)
A Colorado man has been sentenced to 210 years in prison for sexually abusing children at an orphanage he founded and ran in Haiti for decades.
Michael Geilenfeld, 73, established St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in 1985 as a place for orphaned, low-income, and at-risk children in Haiti.
During his trial, it was revealed that Geilenfeld frequently traveled between the United States and Haiti. In Haiti, he abused the boys under his care physically, sexually, and emotionally.
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Geilenfeld was found guilty in February of traveling to engage in illicit sexual activities and of engaging in such activities with boys in Haiti between 2005 and 2010. The U.S. Department of Justice released a statement listing his convictions.
As U.S. District Judge David Leibowitz announced the maximum sentence he could inside a Miami courtroom on Friday, those present applauded.
Leibowitz, as reported by The Miami Herald, stated that Geilenfeld targeted some of the most defenseless children globally, specifically in Haiti. He underlined the severity of the situation by referring to the country’s various struggles and challenges.
“This orphanage destroyed my childhood,” a 24-year-old victim testified on Friday about the institution Geilenfeld founded, according to the outlet. “There is no amount of love that can make me forget. The only thing that can make me forget is, I have to leave this earth. Only death.”
Ten victims in total testified in the case — six directly involved in the charges against Geilenfeld and four others the DOJ listed as victims.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. initiative established by the DOJ to battle the sexual abuse and exploitation of children.
“The defendant’s sustained sexual, physical, and emotional abuse of some of the most vulnerable children in the world is intolerable,” said Matthew Galeotti, chief of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
“For decades, Geilenfeld used his position of trust and access to exploit vulnerable children under the guise of humanitarian work,” added Assistant Director Jose Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “We are grateful to those victims who came forward to report their abuse.”
