Pastoral minister indicted for sexually abusing Haitian boys

The indictment said that over the course of several years, Perlitz allegedly began having illicit sexual contact with nine boys who attended school at PPT. (File photo)

CONNECTICUT, United States, September 18, 2009 – An American man who once seemed like a saviour to some Haitian street children has been indicted in Connecticut for sexually abusing nine Haitian boys at a school he founded in that Caribbean country.

Douglas Perlitz, 39, a pastoral minister, volunteer and founder of the Project Pierre Toussaint school in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, was indicted by a federal grand jury with seven counts of traveling outside of the United States with the intent to engage in sexual conduct with individuals under the age of 18, and three counts of engaging in sexual conduct in foreign places with persons under the age of 18.

The indictment was unveiled yesterday by United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Nora Dannehy, and John Morton, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Perlitz was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at his home in Eagle, Colorado on the day before. 

“This defendant is alleged to have used his position of power to manipulate and sexually abuse vulnerable boys for nearly a decade,”  Dannehy said. 

Perlitz has since appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Boyd Boland in Denver and has been detained pending a detention hearing that is scheduled for today in Denver.

The federal indictment alleges that, about 1997, Perlitz, obtained funding from a religious organisation to found the Project Pierre Toussaint (PTT), named after a Haitian slave who cared for the poor in New York City in the early 1800s. Initially, the school began as an intake center referred to as the 13th Street Intake Program, providing services - including meals, sport activity, basic classroom instruction, and access to running water for baths - to children of all ages, most of whom were street children as young as six years of age. 

PPT continued to expand and, in approximately 1999, a residential facility, Village Pierre Toussaint was added.  The Village was staffed primarily by Haitians, but Perlitz was directly involved with the Village.

The indictment said that over the course of several years, Perlitz allegedly began having illicit sexual contact with nine boys who attended school at PPT.  In order to entice and persuade the children to comply with sex acts, Perlitz provided the promise of food and shelter and also provided monetary and other benefits, including cash, cell phones, electronics, shoes, clothes, and other items, the indictment states.

If minors refused to engage in sex acts, it is alleged that Perlitz would at times withhold benefits or threaten to expel them from the programme.

Perlitz then allegedly attempted to conceal his sexual abuse of the minors by stating that it was common in Haiti for children and adults to sleep together, or he would state that the particular minor was having a lot of difficulty.

Federal prosecutors also claim that Perlitz took steps to control and manipulate the Board of Directors of the Haiti Fund to ensure that he maintained autonomy and control over all of the operations at PPT. 

This apparently made it difficult for volunteers, staff members, or others to question his actions. It is also alleged that the former Connecticut resident also utilised the fear of unemployment and the difficult economic situation in Haiti to control and prevent the Haitian staff at PPT from coming forward about the allegations of sexual abuse.

Finally, the Indictment alleges that, after allegations of long-term sexual abuse by Perlitz surfaced in approximately 2007, Perlitz used his relationship with a religious leader and influential Board Members to continue to attempt to conceal his illegal sexual conduct by causing others to manipulate, prevent, and preclude Board Members in the United States from questioning any issues relating to him. 

If convicted, Perlitz faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years and a fine of up to US$250,000, on each count of the indictment. (Adapted from Caribworldnews)