The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) says a man from the state of Colorado was sentenced on Friday to 210 years in prison for sexually abusing several children at the orphanage he founded and directed in Haiti.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Michael Karl Geilenfeld, 73, 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, the DOJ said Geilenfeld repeatedly travelled from the United States to Haiti, “where he sexually abused the boys entrusted to his care”.

The DOJ said 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 travelling 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 offence.

At trial, the DOJ said the 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 offences.

The 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,” he added.

Jose Perez, assistant director of the FBI’s 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,” Perez added.