Colorado man gets 210 years for sexual abuse of boys at orphanage
DENVER (KDVR) — A Colorado man received a sentence of 210 years in prison for sexually abusing numerous children in care at the orphanage he founded and directed in Haiti, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.
The man, identified as 73-year-old Michael Karl Geilenfeld, most recently lived in Littleton. He founded St. Joseph's Home for Boys in Haiti in 1985.
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The DOJ said in a press release that he repeatedly traveled from the U.S. to Haiti and 'sexually abused the boys entrusted to his care' during his more than two decades operating the orphanage. The DOJ said he also abused the kids physically and emotionally through physical assault and other forms of punishment.
Earlier this year, Geilenfeld was convicted by a federal jury on one count of traveling in foreign commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct and six counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place between 2005 and 2010.
Six victims testified about the abuse in the trial, describing the physical abuse inflicted at Geilenfeld's hands as well as the manipulation he used to keep the operation running.
'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.'
The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations. The DOJ said the case was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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