He Founded an Orphanage for Vulnerable Boys in Haiti — and Was Just Sentenced to 210 Years for What He Did

A Colorado man was sentenced to 210 years in federal prison for sexually abusing children at an orphanage he founded in Haiti. 

Michael Karl Geilenfeld, 73, founded St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in 1985 and operated the home for more than two decades. The home was created for orphaned, impoverished and otherwise vulnerable children in Haiti, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release. 

At the trial, six victims who lived at the orphanage testified about the sexual abuse and physical assault they suffered at the hands of Geilenfeld. Now adults, the victims spoke about the devastating impact the abuse had on them, according to the release.

“The defendant’s sustained sexual, physical, and emotional abuse of some of the most vulnerable children in the world is intolerable,” Matthew Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said in a statement.

Additional alleged victims testified during Geilenfeld’s trial, but prosecutors say he was only charged for the abuse of the six victims. 

Geilenfeld was arrested in Littleton, Colo., in January 2024, according to the release. In February 2025, a federal jury convicted him of one count of traveling in foreign commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct and six counts of engaging in illicit conduct in a foreign place between 2005 and 2010.

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

“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,” Perez added. 

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Geilenfeld operated several orphanages in Haiti and also opened another in the Dominican Republic, according to the Miami Herald.

“He ran a kingdom down there. It was just terrible,” Paul Kendrick, a man who made accusations of abuse against Geilenfeld, told CBS. “Does this (conviction) make all the abuse go away for the victims? Of course not. But it does give these guys a sense of dignity.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.