By Edmund H. Mahony
The Hartford Courant
September 18, 2009
http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-haiti-sexabuse-0918.artsep18,0,1889324.story
 |
| In this Nov. 2004 photo, Douglas Perlitz, a graduate of Fairfield University, talks about his missionary work with Haitian street children in Fairfield, Conn. Perlitz, the founder of a school for poor children in Haiti has been indicted on charges of sexually abusing nine boys there, allegedly threatening them with expulsion or withholding benefits if they did not comply with his demands. |
NEW HAVEN — - The Connecticut founder of an internationally known residential charity for hundreds of homeless boys in Haiti has been accused in a federal indictment of repeatedly abusing the children sexually, sometimes after threatening to return them to the streets if they didn't comply.
Senior federal law enforcement officials announced the arrest of Douglas Perlitz, 39, in a highly publicized news conference Thursday. They said they were underscoring the gravity of the accusations and calling attention to what they called newly invigorated federal efforts to enforce laws that enable them to track down and prosecute U.S. citizens who exploit children on foreign soil.
"We are doing everything in our power to put an end to child predators who attempt to escape justice by traveling overseas," said John T. Morton, assistant secretary for immigration and customs enforcement at the federal Department of Homeland Security.
In her first meeting with reporters since being appointed Connecticut's acting U.S. attorney, prosecutor Nora Dannehy said, "Children deserve to be safe, whether they live in the United States or whether they live elsewhere."
Perlitz was founder and director of Project Pierre Toussaint in Haiti's north coast city of Cap-Haitien, the second most populous city in the hemisphere's poorest country. The sight of throngs of homeless children struggling to survive in Haitian cities, where unemployment exceeds 50 percent, can be overwhelming.
Perlitz offered boys as young as 6 years old homes, food, clothing, shoes, water to bathe in, sporting activities and basic education.
The project was financed over the last decade through the Haiti Fund Inc., a registered Connecticut charity. Fund directors were appointed by the Rev. Paul Carrier, the former director of campus ministry at Fairfield University. Carrier is a close friend of Perlitz and frequently visited him in Haiti.
Donors contributed more than $2 million to Project Pierre Toussaint between 1997 and 2008. The Haitian Times newspaper has reported that, when allegations of sexual abuse surfaced in 2008, donations — many from Connecticut and the Fairfield University community — dried up. The newspaper said the project was forced to close in the summer of 2008, leaving the children homeless again.
Perlitz is a 1992 graduate of Fairfield University. In 2002, he delivered the school's commencement address and received an honorary degree. Rama Sudhakar, the school's vice president of marketing and communications, said Fairfield University never has been affiliated with Perlitz's organization. Donations by employees or alumni, of money and voluntary service, were given privately, she said.
Perlitz moved from Connecticut to suburban Denver two months ago. The indictment says he had spent most of the time since 1991 in Haiti. He is accused specifically of traveling to Haiti to engage in illicit sexual conduct with 10 boys. Each count carries a maximum prison sentence of up to 30 years.
Perlitz was arrested outside Denver on Wednesday and is in custody while awaiting a decision on whether he will be granted bail. He is expected to be returned to Connecticut for prosecution in U.S. District Court.
On his first trip to Haiti, with a volunteer mission in 1991, Perlitz "claimed that he was inspired" to open a school for street children, according to the indictment. Six years later, in 1997, he founded Project Pierre Toussaint with a grant from the Order of Malta, a charitable religious organization.
Perlitz opened two residences for Haitian boys and a third for American volunteers. The indictment said he personally "befriended and recruited male street children to attend the school" and live in the residences.
"In order to entice and persuade the children to comply with the sex acts, Perlitz provided the promise of food and shelter and also provided monetary and other benefits, including, but not limited to, U.S. and foreign currency, cellphones, other electronics, shoes, clothes and other items," the indictment says.
He is accused of "grooming" children for sexual acts, exposing them to homosexual pornography and plying them with alcoholic beverages in an effort to persuade them to spend the night in his private residence. According to the indictment, Perlitz told children not to be ashamed during sex acts; other times, he told them he was "crazy."
When asked by volunteers why he allowed boys to sleep in his bedroom, Perlitz allegedly replied that it was common in Haiti for children and adults to sleep together and that certain of the children "were having a lot of difficulty."
Children who complied were rewarded, the indictment says. They — and their families — sometimes received money from the contributions raised by the Haiti Fund and they were eligible for all the benefits offered by Project Pierre Toussaint.
Those who refused could be denied necessities, such as bed linen, and were threatened with expulsion, according to the indictment.
Perlitz used his control over project finances and operations to silence questions about his behavior. "In an effort to control the American volunteers from discovering or questioning his abuse of minors, Perlitz maintained exclusive control over [the program's] operations, including the funding, making it difficult for volunteers, staff members, or others to question his actions," the indictment says.
Perlitz tried to block an investigation when allegations about misconduct surfaced in 2007, using his relationship with an unidentified "religious leader" who had influence with directors of the Haiti Fund, the indictment says.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.