Haïti en 2010 vu par Michel Soukar, historien. 22/12/2010 | 12H58 Après le tremblement de terre, la radio où il travaille est restée le seul moyen de communiquer avec les sinistrés et le reste du monde. Michel Soukar, historien survivant, nous a raconté son année 2010 en Haïti. "C'était une année horrible. D'abord, il y a eu le tremblement de terre, puis la tornade, le cyclone, le choléra - toujours là -, et dernièrement la catastrophe électorale. Le bilan 2010 est très lourd pour Haïti et 2011 ne sera certainement pas plus facile. Je me souviens du moment précis où le tremblement de terre a commencé. J'étais chez moi à ma table de travail, en train d'écrire quelque chose. Brusquement, j'ai senti comme un train passer à côté de moi. J'ai tout de suite réalisé que c'était un tremblement de terre. Quelques semaines auparavant, j'avais interrogé des géologues qui m'avaient parlé des risques de catastrophe. Je me suis mis à l'abri. Il n'y a pas eu trop de dégâts chez moi. J'habite sur l'une des montagnes qui surplombent Port-au-Prince et cet endroit a été plutôt épargné. J'ai vu la terre danser. C'était une sensation très particulière, un phénomène que nous n'avions jamais vécu. Signal FM n'a pas été touché Après avoir contacté mes proches, sains et saufs, je me suis rendu à la radio où je travaille, Signal FM. Elle n'avait pas été touchée. Nous avons tout de suite compris que ça allait être un moyen de rester en contact avec la population. Nous nous sommes très vite mis au service des sinistrés. Pendant un mois, la station a été le centre du pays, nous diffusions des messages de détresse, des demandes de secours. Nous avons distribué de l'aide, emmené des gens vers les centres hospitaliers avec les véhicules de la station. Nous avons reçu des confrères locaux, d'autres étrangers. Certains étaient bouleversés lorsqu'ils racontaient le drame aux auditeurs de leur pays. Nous avons vécu cette histoire de l'intérieur : des confrères sont morts, d'autres ont perdu des membres de leur famille. Nous hébergions ceux qui n'avaient plus de maison. C'était très difficile. Nous n'oublierons jamais cette expérience. Il y a eu beaucoup de larmes mais aussi de beaux moments de solidarité, très émouvants. C'était tellement difficile. La solidarité internationale Puisque vivre c'est faire face, nous avons décidé de faire face. Heureusement, la solidarité internationale s'est révélée extraordinaire. Beaucoup d'Haïtiens lui doivent leur survie. Ça a été magnifique. Des gens de tous les pays sont venus nous aider. Je ne l'oublierai jamais. J'ai croisé des Belges, des Russes, des Suisses, des Français, des êtres humains admirables qui sous mes yeux sont devenus des Haïtiens. Je le répète : je ne l'oublierai jamais. J'ai les larmes aux yeux quand j'y repense. Il y a eu des problèmes bien sûr pour distribuer l'aide, mais les réfugiés sous les tentes ont quand même pu recevoir de l'eau ou des soins, grâce au dévouement de tous. Le rôle des Haïtiens Les Haïtiens aussi ont été formidables, vous savez. J'ai vu des hôpitaux privés mettre leurs stocks de médicaments à disposition des malades. Je sais qu'un hôpital a même fait faillite à cause de ça. La conférence organisée à New York pour la reconstruction d'Haïti a débloqué une aide de plus de dix milliards. Mais on ne peut pas demander à ceux qui promettent de l'argent de débourser tout de suite. Alors l'aide arrive progressivement, mais elle arrive. Un Etat défaillant Le problème, c'est que l'Etat haïtien, comme l'a montré la dernière supercherie électorale, est un Etat défaillant. Il n'est pas en mesure d'assurer une gestion pérenne de cette aide. Les gens au pouvoir sont accusés – souvent à raison – de corruption, de gabegie. Aujourd'hui, ils se heurtent à une population qui en a assez, qui ne supporte plus cette situation. Il va se passer des choses, je le sens. La récente catastrophe électorale n'a rien arrangé. Je crains que la communauté internationale ne nous coupe les crédits. Mais elle participe aussi au maintien du pouvoir en place. Vous savez, les Haïtiens ont l'habitude de se battre, nous sommes un peuple combatif habitué à gérer un quotidien difficile et je pense que les choses vont évoluer. Ça risque d'être violent mais la population ne veut plus se laisser faire. L'explosion sociale couve" Propos recueillis par Pierre Siankowski http://www.lesinrocks.com/actualite/actu-article/t/56962/date/2010-12-22/article/haiti-en-2010-vu-par-michel-soukar-historien/ Par discrétion, utilisez le champ "Cci" (Copie carbone invisible) pour envoyer un mail à plusieurs destinataires. Si vous renvoyez le message à d'autres personnes, transférez SEULEMENT LE TEXTE et/ou les FICHIERS ET EFFACEZ svp LES ADRESSES DE CONTACTS ____________________ "La vraie reconstruction d'Haïti passe par des réformes en profondeur des structures de l'État pour restaurer la confiance, encourager les investisseurs et mettre le peuple au travail. Il faut finir avec cette approche d'un État paternaliste qui tout en refusant de créer le cadre approprié pour le développement des entreprises mendie des millions sur la scène internationale en exhibant la misère du peuple." Cyrus Sibert Reconstruction d'Haïti : A quand les Réformes structurelles? Haïti : La continuité du système colonial d'exploitation prend la forme de monopole au 21e Siècle. WITHOUT REFORM, NO RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN HAITI (U.S. Senate report.)

20 ans de prison pour un pédophile américain.

Haïti/ USA 22 décembre 2010 07:32; Act: 22.12.2010 07:42 Print Un Américain reconnu coupable d'abus sexuels sur des enfants en Haïti a été condamné à près de 20 ans de prison par un tribunal américain mardi. Douglas Perlitz, 40 ans, a été condamné à 235 mois de prison par un tribunal de New Haven (Connecticut, nord-est), qui devront être suivis de 10 ans de liberté surveillée. Le bureau du procureur fédéral a indiqué que Perlitz a été reconnu coupable d'avoir commis des abus sexuels à l'encontre d'au moins huit enfants sur une période de dix ans en Haïti. Perlitz avait plaidé coupable d'un chef d'accusation, celui de se rendre à l'étranger dans le but d'avoir des relations sexuelles illicites. En 1997 à Cap-Haïtien (nord d'Haïti), il avait fondé une école pour garçons baptisée «Projet Pierre Toussaint». La plupart des élèves venaient de la rue. A l'école, ils étaient nourris et allaient en cours. Selon le bureau du procureur, Perlitz «abusait de l'autorité dont il disposait pour pousser des mineurs à avoir des relations sexuelles en leur promettant de la nourriture et un toit». ____________________ "La vraie reconstruction d'Haïti passe par des réformes en profondeur des structures de l'État pour restaurer la confiance, encourager les investisseurs et mettre le peuple au travail. Il faut finir avec cette approche d'un État paternaliste qui tout en refusant de créer le cadre approprié pour le développement des entreprises mendie des millions sur la scène internationale en exhibant la misère du peuple." Cyrus Sibert Reconstruction d'Haïti : A quand les Réformes structurelles? Haïti : La continuité du système colonial d'exploitation  prend la forme de monopole au 21e Siècle. WITHOUT REFORM, NO RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN HAITI (U.S. Senate report.)

Perlitz sentenced to nearly 20 years for sex abuse of Haitian student

Michael P. Maykoand John Burgeson, Staff Writer

Published: 05:51 p.m., Tuesday, December 21, 2010

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  Members of the local Haitian community arrive at the Richard C. Lee United States Courthouse in downtown New Haven, Conn. to attend the sentencing hearing for Doug Perlitz on Tuesday December 21, 2010. Photo: Christian Abraham / Connecticut Post | Buy This Photo
  Members of the local Haitian community arrive at the Richard C. Lee...
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  Supporters of Douglas Perlitz stand in the lobby of the Richard C. Lee United States Courthouse in downtown New Haven, Conn. as they wait to attend the sentencing hearing for Perlitz on Tuesday December 21, 2010. Photo: Christian Abraham / Connecticut Post | Buy This Photo
  Supporters of Douglas Perlitz stand in the lobby of the Richard C....
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  Stamford lawyer Ezili Danto, of the Haitian Legal Leadership Network, leaves the Richard C. Lee United States Courthouse in downtown New Haven, Conn. during a break in the sentencing hearing for Douglas Perlitz on Tuesday December 21, 2010. Photo: Christian Abraham / Connecticut Post | Buy This Photo
  Stamford lawyer Ezili Danto, of the Haitian Legal Leadership...
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  Journalist Cyrus Sibert, of Cap Haitien, Haiti, answers questions from the media outside of the Richard C. Lee United States Courthouse in downtown New Haven, Conn. during a break in the sentencing hearing for Perlitz on Tuesday December 21, 2010. Photo: Christian Abraham / Connecticut Post | Buy This Photo
  Journalist Cyrus Sibert, of Cap Haitien, Haiti, answers questions...
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  Journalist Cyrus Sibert, of Cap Haitien, Haiti, answers questions from
  
• the media outside of the Richard C. Lee United States Courthouse in
  
• downtown New Haven, Conn. during a break in the sentencing hearing
  
• for Perlitz on Tuesday December 21, 2010. Photo: Christian Abraham
  
• / Connecticut Post | Buy This Photo
• 
  
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  Journalist Cyrus Sibert, of Cap Haitien, Haiti, answers questions
  
• from the media outside of the Richard C. Lee United States
  
• Courthouse in downtown New Haven, Conn. during a break in
  
• the sentencing hearing for Perlitz on Tuesday December 21, 2010.
  
• Photo: Christian Abraham / Connecticut Post | Buy This Photo
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  Stamford lawyer Marguerite Laurent, President of the Haitian Legal
  
• Leadership Network, talks to the media about early Haitian leader
  
• Pierre Toussaint, whom Doug Perlitz named his school after, while
  
• outside the Richard C. Lee United States Courthouse in downtown
  
• New Haven, Conn. during a recess in the sentencing hearing for Perlitz
  
• on Tuesday December 21, 2010. Photo: Christian Abraham /
  
• Connecticut Post | Buy This Photo

  
  

  

  U.S. Attorney Krishna Patel speaks to the media outside the Richard
  
• C. Lee United States Courthouse after the sentencing of Douglas Perlitz
• in downtown New Haven, Conn. on Tuesday December 22, 2010.
  
• Photo: Christian Abraham

  
  

  

  Bruce Foucart, Head of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, New
  
• England Office of Customs and Immigration in Boston, speaks to the
  
• media outside the Richard C. Lee United States Courthouse after
  
• the sentencing of Douglas Perlitz in downtown New Haven, Conn.
  
• on Tuesday December 22, 2010. Photo: Christian Abraham

  
  

  Joseph M. Champagne, Mayor of Toms River, NY, stands outside the
  
• Richard C. Lee United States Courthouse after the sentencing of Douglas
  
• Perlitz in downtown New Haven, Conn. on Tuesday December 22, 2010.
  
• Champagne is also a lawyer with the Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network
  
• in Stamford. Photo: Christian Abraham

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  • Chief of Criminal Division Michael Gustafson, speaks to the media outside
    
  • the Richard C. Lee United States Courthouse after the sentencing of Douglas
    
  • Perlitz in downtown New Haven, Conn. on Tuesday December 22, 2010.
    
  • Photo: Christian Abraham
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    Members of the local Haitian community arrive at the Richard C. Lee
    
  • United States Courthouse in downtown New Haven, Conn. to attend the
  • sentencing hearing for Doug Perlitz on Tuesday December 21, 2010.
    
  • Photo: Christian Abraham / Connecticut Post | Buy This Photo

    
    

    
  • Supporters of Douglas Perlitz stand in the lobby of the Richard C. Lee
    
  • United States Courthouse in downtown New Haven, Conn. as they wait
  • to attend the sentencing hearing for Perlitz on Tuesday December 21,
    
  • 2010. Photo: Christian Abraham / Connecticut Post | Buy This Photo

NEW HAVEN -- Douglas Perlitz was sentenced to 19 years and seven months in a federal prison Tuesday, the maximum sought by prosecutors for his sexual abuse of a Haitain boy at his charitable project.

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U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton also gave Perlitz supervised probation for 10 years after his prison stint, and he would have to participate in various alcohol, substance abuse and sex offense programs.

The judge reviewed videotaped testimony from 16 boys. She said it was obvious he abused a total of eight boys.

In a packed courtroom that included several of Perlitz's Haitian victims as well as some of his supporters and family members, U.S. Attorney Krishna Patel argued for the maximum sentence for Perlitz. The 40-year-old Fairfield Univesity graduate took the stand and apologized to his victims, saying he betrayed their trust.

"I betrayed the trust of all who supported me," said Perlitz. "The volunteers, my family, my friends, but mostly the damage I did to the students.

"I stand before you totally humble," he said. "I understand you might not believe anything that I say."

Patel argued there were at least 16 documented boys victimized by Perlitz over an eight- or nine-year period. She said it would be wrong for the court to consider all the good that Perlitz has done in sentencing him.

"You don't get to use all of that public service as a mitigating factor in sentencing," she said. "That is according to case law. All Douglas Perlitz cares about is Douglas Perlitz. When the kids came forward what did he do? He shut down the school."

Patel received a short ovation from the galley after challenging the defense arguments. That left William F. Dowd III, the attorney for Perlitz, to argue that treating Perlitz as a monster disregards all the good that he has done.

"People are not all bad and not all good," said Dowd. "This is a flawed man that has done some good."

Although 25 boys were abused by Perlitz, 125 were not victimized, Dowd said.

That produced a few chuckles from those in attendance.

During his 20-minute address on the stand, Perlitz said that since his imprisonment he feels free in his prison cell because "freedom comes from speaking the truth."

He added, "What blew up was the double life that I was leading."

He also delivered a rambling apology in Creole to the victims.

Earlier in the day, five Haitian boys told the court how Perlitz repeatedly had sex with them and warned them not to reveal those encounters.

All told, the five boys, now in their early 20s, said the abuse went on for several years and started when they were as young as 11. Some said Perlitz encouraged them to have sex in exchange for money and favors. One boy testified that Perlitz would give him rum and coke to drink before sex.

The boys' testimony was so wrenching that one Haitian man in the gallery broke down in tears. One of the five boys, who were identified only by the initials of their names, said he believed Perlitz had sex with as many as 22 boys at his school and shelter. The boy testified he was pressured by staff there not to reveal the abuse.

Prosecutors wanted Arterton to send Perlitz to prison for more than 19 years, saying he preyed on some of the world's most vulnerable children for years.

The boys said the abuse usually occurred at Perlitz's house but that at least one sexual encounter occurred in his office at the school. Some of the boys testified that Perlitz warned them they would be thrown back on the streets of Cap-Haitien to fend for themselves if they were to disclose the sexual encounters.

When Perlitz entered the courtroom, full with about 150 people, he was wearing a black, V-necked sweater, white shirt and tie and dark slacks, his hair trimmed to a crew-cut. About 15 friends and family members were in court to support him.

Arterton accepted one of the prosecution's arguments for a tougher sentencing for Perlitz -- that his victims were very poor and bereft of any legal and social service protections. But the judge rejected a prosecution assertion that another sentencing "enhancement" should be the threatening remarks Perlitz and his brother made toward prosecutors during phone calls made from prison. Arterton said those remarks did not constitute an actual plot to harm officials.

Perlitz has been in prison in Rhode Island since he was arrested on sex tourism charges in September 2009. He pleaded guilty to one count of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

Perlitz's attorneys urged the court to impose a sentence of eight to 10 years, saying despite the crimes he also helped street children in Haiti. They also cited a "dark and abusive" relationship he had with a priest when he was in college.

Perlitz -- who graduated from Fairfield in 1992 -- was honored in 2002 with a doctorate and named commencement speaker at the university for his work in Haiti. In addition to his pleading guilty to sexually abusing one of his male students, he acknowledged abusing at least seven others. The school, Project Pierre Toussaint, was set up by Perlitz to educate, feed and clothe homeless street boys in Cap-Haitien, Haiti's second largest city.

In sentencing recommendations filed prior to today, prosecutors and defense attorneys presented sharply conflicting views of how Perlitz had gone from a nationally recognized humanitarian to a man who acknowledged he had sex with his charges.

On Monday, David Grudberg and William F. Dow, III, Perlitz's lawyers, dropped a bombshell in reasoning how their client came to sexually abuse students at his Project Pierre Toussaint, a program to educate, feed and clothe homeless street boys in Cap-Haitien, Haiti's second-largest city. The reasons, the lawyers wrote, include a "dark and abusive relationship," both "physical and spiritual," with an unnamed Fairfield University priest that began in 1988 and continued through the Haiti years.

No individual was identified in the court papers filed by Perlitz's lawyers. But the Society of Jesus, New England Province and Fairfield University announced investigations into the Rev. Paul Carrier, who spent 20 years at the school as an instructor, chaplain and director of campus ministry.

Carrier has not been charged with any crime. He has been suspended by his order.

The prosecution team dismissed the claims by Perlitz's attorneys.

"It is simply inexplicable how any of those three purported explanations (sexual abuse by a priest, stress of working in Haiti and living up to being the face of Christ on earth) could cause anyone, let alone a person who professes to devote his life to those less fortunate, to sexually exploit children," prosecutors responded Thursday. "Rather, the evidence demonstrates that Perlitz began abusing minors in or about 1998 even before the school he founded was constructed.

"Given the evidence in this case, the more plausible explanation is that Perlitz is a sexual predator who traveled to Haiti because that is where some of world's most defenseless children reside; that his relationship with the religious leader provided him with ... connections ... (to) run his own charity where he could control and access children; that the protection Perlitz received from the religious leader and the money that he received in Haiti decreased the likelihood of discovery ... and that Perlitz's position in a community that regarded him as the `face of Christ on Earth' would ensure continued donations and supports of the school," the prosecution team maintained.

Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Perlitz-sentenced-to-nearly-20-years-for-sex-912830.php#ixzz18oHXFrj8

Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Perlitz-sentenced-to-nearly-20-years-for-sex-912830.php#ixzz18oGArsVo

U.S. ATTORNEY Press Release -- DOUGLAS PERLITZ SENTENCED TO 235 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON

U.S. Department of Justice United States Attorney District of Connecticut www.justice.gov/usao/ct FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 21, 2010 CONTACT: Tom Carson Public Information Office (203) 821-3722 (203) 996-1393 (cell)                           DOUGLAS PERLITZ SENTENCED TO 235 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON         David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Bruce M. Foucart, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations office in Boston, announced that DOUGLAS PERLITZ, 40, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to 235 months of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for sexually abusing at least eight minor victims over the course of a decade in Haiti.  On August 18, PERLITZ pleaded guilty to one count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.         "We're pleased with lengthy prison term imposed today, as it will protect the public from a serial child predator for years to come," stated U.S. Attorney Fein.  "This defendant's crimes were particularly heinous, as he not only victimized children, but did so by using his position of power to take advantage of vulnerable boys who likely would be out on the street if they didn't comply with his sexual demands.  I want to commend the extraordinary strength and courage of the minor victims in this case who came forward and spoke out about the abuse that they suffered – several of whom were present in the court room today  – so that it would stop and to protect others from harm.  I also want to acknowledge the truly extraordinary efforts of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. State Department, which have devoted significant resources to this investigation and many others that involve American citizens who travel abroad to sexually abuse minors.  This result would not have occurred but for their unceasing commitment to the victims in this case and the cause of justice."         "Today's sentencing of Douglas Perlitz demonstrates the resolve and commitment of ICE HSI to bring to justice American citizens who believe they can victimize children outside the United States," said Bruce M. Foucart, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Boston.  "I would like to commend the hard-working men and women of ICE HSI, the Department of State, the Haitian National Police and prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office here in Connecticut who worked tirelessly to bring a child predator to justice."         According to court documents and statements made in court, in approximately 1997, PERLITZ obtained funding to found Project Pierre Toussaint ("PPT"), a school for boys in Cap-Haitien, Haiti.  Initially, PPT began as an intake center referred to as the 13th Street Intake Program.  PPT provided services to children of all ages, most of whom were street children.  The services provided for the children included meals, sports activities, basic classroom instruction, and access to running water for baths.  PPT continued to expand and, in approximately 1999, a residential facility, Village Pierre Toussaint (referred to as the "Village"), was added.  The Village was staffed primarily by Haitians, but PERLITZ was directly involved with the Village.         In approximately 1999, The Haiti Fund, Inc. was incorporated as a charitable, religious and educational organization in Connecticut, and operated as the fund-raising arm of PPT.  The Haiti Fund raised large sums of money through fund-raising efforts in Connecticut.  All of the expenses associated with PPT were paid for by monies raised on behalf of PPT by the Haiti Fund.         In pleading guilty, PERLITZ admitted that, at various times between 2001 and 2008, he traveled from airports in the U.S. to Haiti to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minors and did, in fact, engage in sexual conduct with minor boys who attended school at PPT.  PERLITZ abused his position of authority to entice and persuade the minors to comply with the sex acts by providing the promise of food and shelter and other benefits, including cash, cell phones, electronics, shoes, clothes, and other items.         The Government has alleged that, between 1998 and 2008, PERLITZ victimized at least 18 minor boys.  Six victims traveled from Haiti to offer testimony at today's sentencing.           Judge Arterton has scheduled a hearing for March 7, 2010, to determine the amount of restitution PERLITZ will be ordered to pay.         PERLITZ has been detained since his arrest in Colorado on September 16, 2009.         This matter has been investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations in New Haven, with the assistance of ICE HSI in Grand Junction, Colorado; ICE International Affairs in Washington, D.C. and the Caribbean Attaché, the U.S. Department of State, Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti; and private individuals in the United States and Haiti, whose assistance has been critical to the successful prosecution of this case.         U.S. Attorney Fein also acknowledged the critical assistance provided by the Haitian National Police Department's Brigade of Protection of Minors.         This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Krishna R. Patel, Stephen B. Reynolds and Richard J. Schechter.  The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York has provided support and assistance to the prosecution of this matter. ### ____________________ "La vraie reconstruction d'Haïti passe par des réformes en profondeur des structures de l'État pour restaurer la confiance, encourager les investisseurs et mettre le peuple au travail. Il faut finir avec cette approche d'un État paternaliste qui tout en refusant de créer le cadre approprié pour le développement des entreprises mendie des millions sur la scène internationale en exhibant la misère du peuple." Cyrus Sibert Reconstruction d'Haïti : A quand les Réformes structurelles? Haïti : La continuité du système colonial d'exploitation  prend la forme de monopole au 21e Siècle. WITHOUT REFORM, NO RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN HAITI (U.S. Senate report.)

Doug Perlitz Sentenced For 19 Years and 7 Months

Doug Perlitz Sentenced For 19 Years and 7 Months December 21, 2010 By: Dan Leitão Tags: Doug Perlitz, Haiti, perlitz, university Perlitz Fairfield University alumnus Douglas Perlitz was sentenced to 19 years 7 months today by a New Haven federal judge for sexually abusing of minors in Haiti.  The 235 months Perlitz will serve in prison is the maximum desired by the prosecution, and will include 10 years of probation. Perlitz, an honorary commencement speaker, had been facing anywhere from eight to nineteen years in prison after pleading guilty on August 18, 2010 for one count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct to Haiti. What started as a story of the embodiment of Jesuit ideals and Christian charity ended in catastrophe today with the sentencing of Perlitz.  Perlitz, who founded Project Pierre Touissant (PPT) in 1997, ran the project until the Haitian Fund board of directors removed him after allegations of sexual assault surfaced in 2008. PPT took children from the street of Haiti and provided them with meals, sports activity, basic classroom instruction and access to running water for bathing.  The Haiti Fund was formed to aid in fundraising and overseeing the operations of PPT in 1999. Initiated by Rev. Paul Carrier, S.J., Fairfield employees and Fairfield and Westchester County residents, the Haiti Fund began actively fundraising in the community as well as on the Fairfield University campus. Last week the defense released a document, which explained a "dark" relationship that Perlitz had with a Fairfield University priest. The relationship started at his time as a Fairfield student and continued past graduation. The defense explained this document was not to excuse Perlitz's actions but to shed light on his abusive past. The sentencing hearing involved the personal stories of five Haitian boys, who Perlitz had abused, and two former employees of PPT.  The New Haven federal courthouse was filled with about 130 people including Perlitz's victims, community members, Haitian reporters and lawyers and abuse advocates. The boys gave detailed accounts of the abuse in Creole, the native language of Haiti, which was translated in the courtroom. They recounted personal accounts of forced oral sex and sodomy, at Perlitz's personal residents called Bel Air, in which Doug Perlitz gave them cash and threatened if they told anyone that he would kick them out of PPT. The closing arguments of both the defense and prosecution lead to dramatic crowd reactions. The defense attorney William F. Dow III argument's that Perlitz had contributed positively to society was met with scoffs when he stated, "The worst you can say about him is that for twelve years he took people who were, as your honor said, lower than dirt and lifted them up." The lead prosecutor then vigorously attacked the defense's claims of good deeds by Perlitz arguing, "there can be no leniency and no sympathy for a man who has hidden behind the community he exploited…The fact that he is a narcissist and the fact that he liked under age boys," received forbidden applause from the back rows of the courtroom. Prior to his sentencing Perlitz made personal remarks and apologized in Creole to the Haitian boys and members of the community.  As he spoke, some in the crowd cried out, "How many boys did you rape?" Perlitz paused and then continued with his prewritten apology asking for forgiveness, but saying that he understands if the boys do not accept his apologies. United States District Judge Janet Bond Arterton ruled that the prosecution had met the requirements for an upward departure, which meant that Perlitz would be looking at 188 to 235 months in prison. Judge Arterton explained that the defense arguments that Perlitz had provided positively to society was akin to digging a well to provide water for people who need water, then poisoning the well and still expecting to be praised for digging the well. She continued that, "the intentions are offset by the fact that he became a predator." She then reminded Perlitz of a letter he wrote to a friend in which he had said, "be careful what you promise a child cause you have to keep it," as she then pronounced the full sentence of 19 years and 7 months. When he completes his prison sentence he will face a 10 year period of supervised parole, register as a sex offender, be forbidden to be in areas largely populated by children under the age of 18 and have monitored computer usage. Similar Posts: Perlitz Defense Denied Delay in Sentencing Defense Claims Fairfield Priest Abused Perlitz Perlitz: New Documents To Be Produced Perlitz Faces Nine Additional Charges Perlitz Victims Receive Aid With Alum Visit ____________________ "La vraie reconstruction d'Haïti passe par des réformes en profondeur des structures de l'État pour restaurer la confiance, encourager les investisseurs et mettre le peuple au travail. Il faut finir avec cette approche d'un État paternaliste qui tout en refusant de créer le cadre approprié pour le développement des entreprises mendie des millions sur la scène internationale en exhibant la misère du peuple." Cyrus Sibert Reconstruction d'Haïti : A quand les Réformes structurelles? Haïti : La continuité du système colonial d'exploitation  prend la forme de monopole au 21e Siècle. WITHOUT REFORM, NO RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN HAITI (U.S. Senate report.)

Sentencing for Haiti sex abuser.

Former Connecticut man will spend almost 20 years Updated: Tuesday, 21 Dec 2010, 9:16 PM EST Published : Tuesday, 21 Dec 2010, 7:37 PM EST By: Darren Kramer New Haven, Conn (WTNH) - Today some of the boys told a judge their story, and heard from the man who molested them. In court today 40-year-old Douglas Perlitz faced a half dozen of the young homeless haitian boys he sexually assaulted for years. Each young man bravely telling their story in impact statements before Perlitz was sentenced. Among those in the courtroom was Cyrus Sibert, the Haitian journalist who broke the story. He says Perlitz had become a powerful man in a very poor area, and used his power on the most defenseless. "The person you are to protect, the person you have to defend, you exploit him, and you exploit him when he is in a very economic and social situation of weakness," Sibert said. In court Perlitz spoke to his victims in their native language Creole. He said he was responsible, that he betrayed their trust, and asked for their forgiveness. Sibert, he is one who broke the story, says right now there are more ugly stories in Haiti waiting to be told. "Perlitz is not the only one. We have many many people who are now taking advantage of the situation in haiti after the earthquake. To go there, because the state become weaker, and to try to exploit women and children," he said. "Let it be known that if there are other people, other Americans who choose to go outside the United States and prey on children, the vulnerable members of society, then we and ICE as well as the US attorney's office will be there to prosecute," said Bruce Foucart from the Department of Homeland Security. Police say at one point Perlitz threatened to kill a prosecutor. His lawyers say that statement was not serious and was made in anger. ____________________ "La vraie reconstruction d'Haïti passe par des réformes en profondeur des structures de l'État pour restaurer la confiance, encourager les investisseurs et mettre le peuple au travail. Il faut finir avec cette approche d'un État paternaliste qui tout en refusant de créer le cadre approprié pour le développement des entreprises mendie des millions sur la scène internationale en exhibant la misère du peuple." Cyrus Sibert Reconstruction d'Haïti : A quand les Réformes structurelles? Haïti : La continuité du système colonial d'exploitation  prend la forme de monopole au 21e Siècle. WITHOUT REFORM, NO RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN HAITI (U.S. Senate report.)

US abuser of Haiti kids sentenced to 20 years.

US abuser of Haiti kids sentenced to 20 years Foreign 2010-12-22 09:58 NEW YORK, Wednesday 22 December 2010 (AFP) - A US man who sexually abused the Haitian children he was supposedly helping in the stricken Caribbean nation was sentenced Tuesday by a Connecticut court to nearly 20 years in prison. Douglas Perlitz, 40, was sentenced in New Haven to 235 months of prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for sexually abusing at least eight children during a decade in Haiti, the federal prosecutor's office in Connecticut said. Perlitz had pleaded guilty to one count of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He founded a school for boys called Project Pierre Toussaint in 1997 in the town of Cap-Haitien. Most of the pupils were street children and at the school they were fed, given classroom lessons, and provided with running water and sports activities -- a relatively high standard of living in one of the world's poorest countries. However Perlitz simultaneously "abused his position of authority to entice and persuade the minors to comply with the sex acts by providing the promise of food and shelter and other benefits, including cash, cell phones, electronics, shoes, clothes," the prosecutor's office said. David Fein, US attorney for Connecticut, said he was pleased with the long sentence. "It will protect the public from a serial child predator for years to come," he said in a statement. __________________ "La vraie reconstruction d'Haïti passe par des réformes en profondeur des structures de l'État pour restaurer la confiance, encourager les investisseurs et mettre le peuple au travail. Il faut finir avec cette approche d'un État paternaliste qui tout en refusant de créer le cadre approprié pour le développement des entreprises mendie des millions sur la scène internationale en exhibant la misère du peuple." Cyrus Sibert Reconstruction d'Haïti : A quand les Réformes structurelles? Haïti : La continuité du système colonial d'exploitation  prend la forme de monopole au 21e Siècle. WITHOUT REFORM, NO RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN HAITI (U.S. Senate report.)

Doug Perlitz on CNN's AC360 tonight.

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From: "Yi, Hannah" <Hannah.Yi@turner.com>

Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:30:41 -0500

To: Yi, Hannah<Hannah.Yi@turner.com>

Subject: Doug Perlitz on CNN's AC360 tonight

Hello -

Wanted to let you know that the story on Doug Perlitz will air tonight, Monday, December 20 on CNN 11pm et.  It will air in the 11pm et hour of AC360.  Hope you watch.  Thanks for all your help in getting this piece to air.

 

Best,

Hannah

 

CNN

hannah.yi@turner.com

212-275-7726 (w)

862-902-9320 (c)