Founder of Haiti Orphanage Falsely Accused of Sex abuse

Paul Kendrick, a Maine activist for sexual abuse victims, from his desk in Freeport, led an email and blog campaign publicizing and accusing Michael Geilenfeld, the founder of St. Joseph's Home for Boys and North Carolina-based 'Hearts with Haiti' in false allegation of child abuse. In late 2011, he sent out emails to hundreds of people accusing Geilenfeld of being a serial pedophile and 'Hearts with Haiti' of refusing to do anything about him.

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The jury has awarded $7 million in damages to Michael Geilenfeld and $7.5 million to the Hearts with Haiti, although seven Haitian men had testified that they were molested by Geilenfeld. However,, it has been learnt that Mr. Kendrick never met Michael or any residents or staff of the homes, and having never visited any of the three children's homes for disabled and disadvantaged children in Haiti. Many observers are of opinion that Mr. Kendrick had the intention to disrupt St. Joseph Family's fundraising network in the United States and Canada, targeting their largest donors, fundraisers in the U.S and Canada. The Department of Homeland Security had launched an exhaustive investigation into Mr. Kendrick's claims and found them to be baseless.

The false allegation had kept Geilenfeld behind the bars for 237 days and cost 'Hearts with Haiti' several million dollars in donations. David Walker, the lawyer of Kendrick has said that he was disappointed by the verdict and he would be looking at the option of an appeal. Peter DeTroy, lawyer for Geilenfeld and the charity has said that the jury's verdict has given a message that people need to think twice before making online attacks. Computer keyboards may be much mightier than the pen and the sword, but it is incapable to establish exaggerations, half truth and outright falsehoods.

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