Founder of Haitian Orphanage Sentenced to 210 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing Boys in his Care

A Colorado man was sentenced today to 210 years in prison for sexually abusing numerous children at the orphanage he founded and directed in Haiti.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Michael Karl Geilenfeld, 73, most recently of Littleton, founded St. Joseph’s Home for Boys — a home for orphaned, impoverished, and otherwise vulnerable children in Haiti — in 1985 and operated it for more than two decades. During this time, Geilenfeld repeatedly traveled from the United States to Haiti, where he sexually abused the boys entrusted to his care. He also physically and emotionally abused the children in the home, including through physical assault and other forms of punishment.

In February 2025, a federal 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. Each of the six counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct relates to a separate victim who was a child at the time of the offense.

At trial, these six victims testified about the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of Geilenfeld and the devastating impact it had on them, as did other victims — now adults — who were not the subject of the charged offenses. Victims and witnesses also described the physical abuse Geilenfeld inflicted on his victims and the manipulation that he employed to keep his operation running and financially supported by others.

“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.”

“This sentencing marks the end of a case built on the courage of survivors and the dedication of investigators,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “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.”

U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and FBI investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Jessica L. Urban and Eduardo Palomo of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lacee Monk for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.