DENVER (TCN) —Â A 73-year-old Colorado man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for sexually abusing multiple children at an orphanage he founded and operated in Haiti.
According to prosecutors, in 1985, Geilenfeld, most recently of Littleton, launched St. Joseph’s Home for Boys, an orphanage for impoverished and “otherwise vulnerable” kids in Haiti. Geilenfeld reportedly operated the orphanage for more than two decades and would travel from the United States to Haiti, where prosecutors said he “sexually abused the boys entrusted to his care.”
The defendant reportedly “physically and emotionally abused the children in the home, including through physical assault and other forms of punishment.”
Six victims testified during the trial and described the “devastating impact it had on them.” Witnesses and victims also detailed the “manipulation” tactics Geilenfeld employed to “keep his operation running and financially supported by others.”
Jose Perez, the assistant director of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division, said, “For decades, Geilenfeld used his position of trust and access to exploit vulnerable children under the guise of humanitarian work.”
