A Colorado man accused of sexually abusing “numerous” boys at an orphanage he founded and directly ran in Haiti was on May 23 handed a 210-year prison sentence for the offense, the U.S. Department of Justice announced in a statement.
Court documents stated that the St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in Haiti was founded by 73-year-old Michael Karl Geilenfeld in 1985, and he ran the facility meant for orphaned, impoverished, and vulnerable children in the poor Caribbean nation for over 20 years.
Authorities said that while operating the orphanage, Geilenfeld on multiple occasions traveled to Haiti from the United States and sexually abused the boys under his care. Besides that, authorities said the boys in the orphanage also suffered physical and emotional abuse from Geilenfeld. The disciplinary measures at the orphanage included physical assault.
RELATED STORIES
During his trial, six victims took the stand and narrated the sexual abuse they had to endure from Geilenfeld as well as the “devastating impact it had on them, as did other victims — now adults — who were not the subject of the charged offenses,” the statement said.
“Victims and witnesses also described the physical abuse Geilenfeld inflicted on his victims and the manipulation that he employed to keep his operation running and financially supported by others,” the statement added.
Geilenfeld was handed the punishment after a federal jury in February 2025 convicted him 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.
Authorities said that “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.”
Matthew Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, described Geilenfeld’s actions as “intolerable.” “The defendant’s sustained sexual, physical, and emotional abuse of some of the most vulnerable children in the world is intolerable,” Galeotti said.
“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.”
Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division also said that the sentencing “marks the end of a case built on the courage of survivors and the dedication of investigators.”
Perez added: “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 pursuing those who commit crimes against children no matter where they occur or how long ago they were committed.”
