February 25th 2025.
According to a report by CBS News, a 73-year-old man named Michael Karl Geilenfeld from Colorado has been found guilty of sexually abusing young boys in the orphanage he opened in the 1980s. The trial, which took place earlier this month in Miami, heard the testimonies of six Haitian men who lived at the St. Joseph's Home For Boys between 2005 and 2010. These men claimed that they were victims of sexual abuse at the hands of Geilenfeld.
The jury found Geilenfeld guilty of one count of traveling to a foreign country for the purpose of engaging in sexual misconduct and six counts of engaging in sexual misconduct in a foreign place. As a result, he now faces up to 30 years in prison for each charge and will be sentenced on May 5. This conviction comes after years of accusations against Geilenfeld, which were brought to light by activist Paul Kendrick in 2013.
Kendrick first met Geilenfeld in 2003 after visiting Haiti and connecting with Douglas Perlit, the director of a school for homeless youths. Perlit was later convicted of sexually abusing youth in that school in 2010. In 2013, Kendrick and his nonprofit organization Hearts of Haiti were sued for defamation by Geilenfeld, who was seeking financial compensation. However, the case was dismissed and Geilenfeld did not receive any money from the lawsuit.
Kendrick believes that Geilenfeld's decision to file the civil suit against him only brought more attention to the accusations against him. "The government became more interested," Kendrick stated. "I think the prosecutors were able to assemble a credible case that put this guy in jail."
During the trial, federal prosecutors started with the testimony of a young man who lived at St. Joseph's when he was just 12 years old. According to the Miami Herald, the man shared his experience of being brought into Geilenfeld's bedroom to learn a prayer. However, once inside, Geilenfeld proceeded to kiss him on the mouth, fondle his genitals, and attempt to perform anal sex. The man also testified that Geilenfeld warned him not to tell anyone else about the incident.
Geilenfeld had been operating several orphanages in Haiti until 2014 and even opened another one in the Dominican Republic. Kendrick claims that Geilenfeld would offer room and board to Haitian boys in exchange for sexual abuse. "He ran a kingdom down there. It was just terrible," Kendrick stated. "While this conviction does not erase the trauma experienced by the victims, it does provide them with a sense of dignity."
In other news, a black entrepreneur has recently launched an academy that offers free courses to 90,000 Haitians. This initiative aims to provide education opportunities to those in need and empower them for a better future.
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