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  Feds: Haiti Abuse Suspect Sought Boys While in US

By John Christoffersen
The Denver Post
October 28, 2009

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_13659578

NEW HAVEN, Conn.—A Colorado man charged with sexually abusing nine boys at a school he founded in Haiti was using his computer while in the United States to search for boys, federal prosecutors said.

Authorities made the accusations in court papers as they argued that Douglas Perlitz should not be released from prison while he awaits trial. A judge kept him detained after his attorney said at a hearing Wednesday that he needed more time to come up with a large bond package.

Authorities accuse Perlitz of enticing children at the Project Pierre Toussaint school in Cap-Haitien into sex acts by promising them food, shelter, cash, cell phones, electronics and shoes. They say he also withheld benefits and threatened to expel the boys if they refused his wishes.

Perlitz, 39, has pleaded not guilty. His attorney, William Dow III, also denied his client was doing anything illegal in the U.S.

Prosecutors cited "very preliminary findings" by a forensic examiner who looked at a computer obtained from Perlitz when he was arrested last month in Colorado. His analysis found that a user named Doug conducted computer searches for "gay black boys" and accessed a forum related to boys where people could arrange for meetings and identify "cruising places."

"This clearly raises additional concerns for detention purposes since these Web pages and forums were being accessed while Perlitz was in the United States," prosecutors wrote in court papers Tuesday.

Prosecutors also said Perlitz wired money to people in Haiti which they believe was done to buy the silence of additional children.

Dow said he has not seen any of the government's computer evidence, but he denied Perlitz sent any hush money. He said there is nothing to substantiate he did anything illegal on the computer.

Perlitz remained in daily contact with people he knew in Haiti to continue the work he had done in the country, Dow said.

Dow said he would again file court papers seeking Perlitz's release from prison while he awaits trial.

At a hearing earlier this month, Dow offered to pledge properties of Perlitz's relatives worth $1.9 million to $2.3 million to ensure he doesn't flee and proposed that Perlitz stay with a couple at their home in Fairfield.

Magistrate Joan Margolis said she might consider a larger bond of $4 million to $5 million.

 
 

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