By Edmund H. Mahony
Hartford Courant
December 16, 2010
http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-haiti-abuse-1217-20101216,0,3083529.story
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| In this November 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. (AP PHOTO/THE CONNECTICUT POST, JEFF BUSTRAAN / November 1, 2004) |
The founder of a once widely respected charity for Haitian street children is claiming in court that he was driven to have sex with boys in his care in part by a "dark and abusive" relationship with a priest he met while a student at Fairfield University.
The assertion by one-time philanthropist Douglas Perlitz is one of several disclosures in legal documents filed in federal court by Perlitz's lawyers and the federal prosecutors who are trying to imprison him for 19 1/2 years. Perlitz is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in New Haven by U.S. District Judge Janet B. Arterton.
Perlitz made the claim about the priest, who is not publicly identified, in a 29-page statement, apparently filed under seal. What is known about the statement comes from references to it by federal prosecutors.
In the statement, Perlitz attempts to "explain," but not "excuse," his conduct with the homeless Haitian children in his care, and he takes responsibility for engaging in sexual acts with what he calls "young men" and "young adults," according to prosecutors.
The prosecutors are dismissive of Perlitz's claims, calling him a rapist who extorted sex from vulnerable children at the school that his charity founded for the homeless.
"Perlitz's efforts to minimize his inhumane cruelty by referring to his victims as 'men' or 'adults' is nothing more than a belated attempt on his part to assuage his self-absorbed conscience," the prosecutors wrote.
The prosecutors were equally dismissive of the three explanations they said Perlitz offered for his conduct: A "long-standing spiritual and physical relationship" with the unidentified priest, the stress of working in Haiti and the fact that his work placed him on a pedestal that eventually "became [his] prison."
The evidence, the prosecutors wrote, demonstrates that Perlitz is a predator who founded a residential charity in Haiti because "that is where some of the world's most defenseless children reside." They said Perlitz used his relationship with the priest to develop funding sources.
Perlitz's lawyers argue that his work with destitute children caused supporters of his charity, in the city of Cap Haitien, to refer to him as the "face of Christ on Earth."
"This is a vivid illustration of the high regard in which he was held, but also the magnitude of the impossibly high burden Doug faced as the Project evolved and grew," defense lawyers William F. Dow III and David T. Grudberg wrote.
Perlitz admitted to one count of traveling abroad to engage in illicit sex in a plea agreement that he reached with prosecutors in August. He is arguing for a sentence of about 8 years.
Fairfield University has said it had no formal relationship with Perlitz's charity, although members of the campus community might have been privately involved. Earlier this year, Fairfield commissioned a private investigation that showed the school had no knowledge of the allegations against Perlitz until after they had become public knowledge.
The Justice Department has made Perlitz, 40, a high-profile example of its commitment to prosecute U.S. citizens who travel abroad for illicit sex. He is accused of abusing as many as 18 boys.
Perlitz, who has an undergraduate degree from Fairfield University and a master's in theology from Boston College, founded Project Pierre Toussaint in the mid-1990s. It became known internationally for providing boys as young as 6 years old with homes, food, clothing, shoes, water to bathe in, sporting activities and basic education. He is accused of threatening to expel children who refused his advances.
The project was financed through the Haiti Fund Inc., a registered Connecticut charity. Fund directors were appointed by the Rev. Paul Carrier, former director of campus ministry at Fairfield University. Authorities have described Carrier as a close friend of Perlitz's who visited him in Haiti. Donors contributed more than $2 million to Project Pierre Toussaint between 1997 and 2008.
A Fairfield University spokesman said late Thursday that the school is now investigating whether there were any allegations against Carrier during his tenure at the university.
Prosecutors said in their legal filing Thursday that the charity and its funding arm began to collapse in 2007 when abused children sought help, in some cases by scrawling graffiti on school property, and investigations followed. Project Pierre Toussaint closed in 2008, and many of its residents again became homeless.
Perlitz and his supporters, among them the unidentified priest, tried unsuccessfully to block a variety of investigations that eventually resulted in Perlitz's indictment, prosecutors said in legal papers. Among other things, Perlitz and the supporters are accused of trying to discredit or silence the complaining children and erase potentially incriminating information from computers.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office said an investigation of the charity is continuing.
After he was arrested and ordered held without bail, Perlitz discussed attacking the assistant U.S. attorneys assigned to his case, prosecutors said. The discussions took place between Perlitz and one of his brothers over a recorded, prison telephone line.
Perlitz's lawyers argue that the prosecution is exaggerating the significance of the conversations, which "simply reveal the frustration and anger that often accompanies a high stakes criminal prosecution where an individual's liberty is at stake."
Contact: emahony@courant.com
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