By Vanessa Macdonald
di-ve
September 22, 2009
http://www.di-ve.com/Default.aspx?ID=72&Action=1&NewsId=64215&newscategory=34
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The Order of Malta funded the Project Pierre Toussaint in Haiti, whose founder Douglas Peritz has been charged with abusing his position to get street boys to provide sexual favours.
Douglas Perlitz, 39, appeared last Friday in Denver, facing 10 charges alleging he used his position in the program to provide shelter, food, money and other gifts to homeless street boys in exchange for sex.
Prosecutors say Mr Perlitz would sometimes withhold benefits or threaten to expel the boys if they refused to have sexual relations.
Mr Perlitz, a resident of Connecticut until just recently, founded the Project Pierre Toussaint in Haiti's northern city of Cap-Haitien with a grant from the Order of Malta. It started out as a shelter but eventually expanded to a boarding school.
He allegedly abused 9 of the young boys over a 10-year period. Each charge carries a prison term of up to 30 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
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