Michael Karl Geilenfeld, the founder of St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in Haiti, was convicted of sexual abuse against boys who lived in the orphanage between 2005 and 2010. A federal jury in Miami found him guilty of traveling in foreign commerce for illicit sexual conduct and engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place. Testimonies in court revealed that Geilenfeld abused young boys, with one victim recalling being kissed, fondled, and subjected to attempted sexual relations by Geilenfeld. Geilenfeld operated multiple orphanages in Haiti until 2014 and then opened another one in the Dominican Republic. In 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents discovered a dossier of photos of Geilenfeld’s victims, some of whom were included in the indictment, suggesting an attempt to intimidate them from testifying against him. Geilenfeld faces up to 30 years in prison at his sentencing hearing in May 2024. Geilenfeld’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the conviction. These disturbing revelations highlight the ongoing issue of sexual abuse in institutions meant to provide care and protection for vulnerable children.
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