GONAïVES (HAITI)
Haitian Times [Brooklyn, NY]
October 2, 2026
By Fahima Degia
Maylon Foshee, 23, built a large social media following through videos of his missionary work in Haiti and his fluency in Creole. Federal investigators allege he sexually abused minors who were under his care.
Overview:
American missionary Maylon Foshee is scheduled to return to federal court Oct. 12 after being charged with engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors in Haiti. An FBI affidavit alleges Foshee sexually abused minors who lived with him or received educational and financial support from him while he worked with a ministry in Gonaïves.
American missionary Maylon Foshee is scheduled to return to federal court Oct. 12 after being charged with illicit sexual conduct with minors in Haiti, where authorities allege the 23-year-old Louisiana man sexually abused children while working as a missionary in Gonaïves.
Foshee, who built a large social media following through videos showcasing his fluency in Creole and his missionary work in Haiti, faces up to 30 years in federal prison if convicted. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana announced the charge Sept. 30, eight days after prosecutors secured a federal criminal complaint against him.
The complaint was filed Sep 22. 2026, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, charges Foshee under a federal law prohibiting illicit sexual conduct with minors in a foreign country. According to an FBI affidavit filed with the complaint, investigators began looking into allegations against Foshee after receiving a complaint in March 2026. The affidavit says Foshee traveled to Haiti on mission trips between 2023 and 2025 and worked with Agape Ministries in Gonaïves, where he worked closely with children, helped send them to school, and allowed some to stay at his home.
“Protecting children from sexual abuse wherever it occurs is one of this Administration’s highest priorities, and identifying, investigating, and prosecuting child predators in our Louisiana communities lies at the heart of our Office’s mission to keep our communities safe,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “Our Office thanks the FBI for its phenomenal investigative work and looks forward to seeing justice done in this significant case.”
The FBI affidavit says agents interviewed at least three minors who disclosed alleged inappropriate sexual conduct involving Foshee. The FBI had “probable cause to believe that Foshee committed violations of 18 U.S.C. § 2423(c),” which prohibits illicit sexual conduct involving minors by U.S. citizens or permanent residents while abroad.
At a Sept. 29, 2026 hearing, Foshee waived his right to a preliminary examination and stipulated that probable cause supported the charges in the criminal complaint, according to court records.
The three minors who reported alleged inappropriate sexual conduct by Foshee lived in Gonaïves and the third lived in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic. Investigators traveled to Haiti and the Dominican Republic in August to conduct forensic interviews with the three minors.
The affidavit also references voice messages allegedly sent by Foshee after allegations began circulating. According to investigators, Foshee acknowledged that something had happened with one minor and said he had “fixed this whole problem.” He also told someone that he had not planned what occurred and that it “just happened,” according to the affidavit.
The FBI also reviewed Foshee’s travel records, which showed multiple trips between the United States and Haiti from 2023 through February 2026. Investigators said the travel dates placed Foshee in Haiti when two of the minors were 14 years old.
One of the minors, identified as MV1, lived with Foshee, who paid for his schooling. According to the affidavit, MV1 told investigators that Foshee allegedly engaged in sexual conduct with him while he was sleeping at Foshee’s home in Gonaïves.
The affidavit says the alleged conduct happened again about three months later. MV1 also told investigators that he was afraid of Foshee and described incidents in which Foshee allegedly yelled at him and beat him with a belt.
Another alleged victim, identified as MV2, also stayed at Foshee’s home, according to the affidavit. Investigators said MV2 told them he woke up with Foshee on top of him and touching him sexually.
The affidavit says MV2 tried to remove Foshee’s hand and that the alleged incident occurred the night before his 15th birthday. MV2 reportedly told investigators he initially did not disclose what happened because he was afraid Foshee would stop paying for his schooling.
The affidavit also describes allegations from MV3, who was 14 years old at the time of the alleged incidents. Investigators said MV3 lived with Foshee because of difficulties at home.
According to the affidavit, Foshee allegedly invited MV3 to sleep in his bed and later engaged in unwanted sexual contact. The affidavit also says Foshee offered to take MV3 to the United States and obtain a passport if MV3 performed a sexual act.
The FBI affidavit also details an interview with MV3’s older brother, identified as P.D.
P.D. alleges Foshee attempted to have non-consensual sexual intercourse with him. He also provided investigators with images that he said were circulating involving Foshee.
Social media following draws attention to case
Foshee had built a sizable following on TikTok before his arrest, posting videos about his missionary work and interactions with Haitians, often speaking in Haitian Creole. As of Oct. 1, 2026, he had more than 100,000 followers and more than a million likes.
The federal case has since drawn attention on the platform.
In one TikTok video circulating after Foshee’s arrest, a woman appears to show a man on her phone as they stand side by side.
Her face is blurred, and text accompanying the video reads, “Yo arete Maylon Foshee,” Haitian Creole for “They arrested Maylon Foshee.”
The video prompted reactions from users, including one commenter who wrote, “This is inappropriate.”
Similar to Foshee, missionaries such as Michael Geilenfeld were also convicted of abuse. In Haiti, missionaries have long taken advantage of residents.
Executive director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, Brian Concannon, attests to this and says missionaries in Haiti are taking advantage of their prestige and economic power to sexually abuse Haitian children they claim to be helping.
“The corrupt and weak Haitian justice system almost never prosecutes foreigners for sexual abuse, ” said Concannon.
He adds that the U.S. government has arrested and prosecuted many of the perpetrators, “But in every case the arrests have come years after the initial reports of abuse, and in many cases the missionary organizations allowed the perpetrators continued access to vulnerable children, rather than believing the victims.”
Foshee’s federal public defender and the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment.