Latest news with #MichaelKarlGeilenfeld
USA Today
26-05-2025
- USA Today
Colorado man sentenced to 210 years in prison for abusing children at orphanage
Colorado man sentenced to 210 years in prison for abusing children at orphanage A Colorado man who founded a Haitian orphanage four decades ago is set to spend the rest of his life in prison after he was convicted of sexually, physically, and emotionally abusing multiple children under his organization's care. Michael Karl Geilenfeld, 73, of Littleton, was sentenced to 210 years in prison after a federal jury found him guilty of several counts committed at the St. Joseph's Home for Boys in the Caribbean, the Department of Justice announced on May 23. He was arrested in Colorado back in January 2024. Geilenfeld was convicted last February of one count of traveling in foreign commerce with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, as well as six counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place, the Justice Department confirmed in a news release. Each of the six counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct relates to six separate victims who were children at the orphanage between 2005 and 2010. All six victims, now adults, testified against Geilenfeld as well as other former child victims who were not subject to the related charges. "For decades, Geilenfeld used his position of trust and access to exploit vulnerable children under the guise of humanitarian work," FBI Assistant Director Jose A. Perez said in a news release. "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." USA TODAY reached out to attorneys listed as Geilenfeld's representatives for comment. 'Abuse of some of the most vulnerable children in the world is intolerable' In 1985, Geilenfeld founded the St. Joseph's Home for Boys, which he operated for more than 20 years, according to the Justice Department. He repeatedly traveled back and forth from the U.S to Haiti, where he sexually abused the children at the orphanage entrusted to his care, prosecutors said. Geilenfeld also physically and emotionally abused the children in the home through physical assault and other forms of punishment, prosecutors said. Victims and witnesses testified that Geilenfeld implemented manipulation tactics to ensure his orphanage was financially supported. "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. How to protect minors from sexual abuse: The predator is usually someone you know Victims detailed abuse during court testimonies One of the men who testified in the case said he was 12 years old when Geilengeld abused him, the Miami Herald reported. The man testified that Geilenfeld brought him into his bedroom so he could "help him learn a prayer" but instead proceeded to sit him down in a chair, kiss him on the mouth, fondle his genitals and tried to have sexual relations with him, according to the Miami Herald. Geilenfeld reportedly operated multiple orphanages in Haiti until 2014 and opened another one in the Dominican Republic, the Miami Herald reported. In 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents found photos of the victims when Geilenfeld was traveling through Miami International Airport to the Dominican Republic, court records obtained by USA TODAY show. Investigators told the judge some of the photos showed victims in the indictment, which they said Geilenfeld planned to use to "intimidate victims to not testify against him." It's unclear whether the photos were sexually explicit. Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Yahoo
Colorado man convicted of abusing boys at Haitian orphanage
DENVER (KDVR) — A Colorado man was convicted of sexually abusing boys at an orphanage he founded in Haiti. The U.S. Department of Justice said a federal jury in Miami convicted 73-year-old Michael Karl Geilenfeld of Littleton. The department said Geilenfeld founded St. Joseph's Home for Boys, a home for orphaned and impoverished children in Haiti, in 1985. Former Douglas County teacher arrested on charges including kidnapping During his more than two decades of operation, the justice department said Geilenfeld would travel between the U.S. and Haiti and would sexually abuse the boys in his care. On Thursday, the Miami jury convicted Geilenfeld 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. The justice department said the six victims testified about the sexual abuse they suffered. Four other victims testified, but they were not the subject of the charged offenses. Download the FOX31 App: Breaking news alerts & Pinpoint Weather Geilenfeld will be sentenced on May 5 and could face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for the seven counts. The justice department said this 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.
