Colorado man sentenced to 210 years in prison for sexually abusing boys at his orphanage in Haiti

A Colorado man who founded and directed an orphanage in Haiti has been sentenced to 210 years in prison for sexually abusing children there. Michael Karl Geilenfeld, 73, founded the St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in 1985, which housed orphaned, impoverished, and vulnerable children in Haiti.

In the over two decades that Geilenfeld operated the orphanage, the Department of Justice said that he "repeatedly traveled from the United States to Haiti, where he sexually abused the boys entrusted to his care." The children also suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hands of Geilenfeld. 

A federal jury convicted Geilenfeld in February 2025 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.

Each of the six counts relates to a separate victim, who were all children at the time of the offense. The victims testified in the trial about the sexual abuse they endured, and the lasting impact it has left. 

Matthew Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said, "The defendant’s sustained sexual, physical, and emotional abuse of some of the most vulnerable children in the world is intolerable. 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 said, "This sentencing marks the end of a case built on the courage of survivors and the dedication of investigators. 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."

During the trial, prosecutors recounted the testimony of one of the victims, who recounted through a Creole translator how Geilenfeld brought the then-12-year-old boy into his bedroom to learn to pray. The man, now 28, recounded how Geilenfeld sat him down in a chair, kissed him on the mouth, fondled his genitles, and attempted to have anal sex, per the Miami Herald. 

"His pants were down and his penis was rubbing against my behind," he said, adding that he "pushed him" and "ran outside" of the bedroom. Geilenfeld later told the boy "not to tell anybody else about this."

Prosecutors said that Geilenfeld had kept a dossier that included photos of his victims, which were discovered by US Customs and Border Patrol agents in 2019 when he traveled through the Miami International Airport to travel to the Dominican Republic. 

The outlet stated that Geilenfeld opened a home in the Dominican Republic after he fled to the country to escape sexual abuse allegations in Haiti, which had closed St Joseph’s Home in 2014.