Man Sentenced to 210 Years for Decades of Child Abuse at Haiti Orphanage

Michael Geilenfeld, 73, a Colorado man and founder of a Haitian orphanage, has been sentenced to 210 years in federal prison for sexually abusing children in his care over a period spanning several decades.

Geilenfeld established St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1985, presenting it as a refuge for orphaned, low-income, and at-risk children.

However, according to evidence presented at trial, he used his position to systematically exploit and abuse the boys he claimed to protect.

A jury convicted Geilenfeld in February on 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.

The offenses occurred between 2005 and 2010, each involving a different child victim, as detailed in a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) press release.

During the sentencing hearing on Friday in Miami, U.S. District Judge David Leibowitz imposed the maximum sentence allowed under the law. The courtroom reportedly erupted in applause as the sentence was handed down.

“The defendant preyed upon some of the most vulnerable children in the world,” Judge Leibowitz stated, according to The Miami Herald. “That’s what he did. That’s not a metaphor—it’s the painful reality against the backdrop of Haiti’s many challenges.”

One of the victims, now 24, delivered a harrowing account of the long-term impact of the abuse. “This orphanage destroyed my childhood,” he testified. “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.”

In total, ten victims testified during the proceedings—six of whom were directly involved in the charges and four others who were also identified by the DOJ as victims of Geilenfeld’s abuse.

The prosecution was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide DOJ initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse.

“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 DOJ’s Criminal Division.

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“For decades, Geilenfeld used his position of trust and access to exploit vulnerable children under the guise of humanitarian work,” added Jose Perez, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “We are grateful to the victims who bravely came forward to share their stories.”