The indictment of Doug Perlitz ‘92 on allegations that he sexually abused children in Haiti sent shockwaves through the University community. While the organization that funded Perlitz, the Haiti Fund, was not directly tied to the University, multiple University members, ranging from alumni to administrators gave their time and money to the organization.
The strongest connection to the indictment and Fairfield is the involvement of former director of campus ministry Rev. Paul Carrier, who was the chairman of the Haiti Fund board. Carrier led fundraisers on campus and made several trips to Haiti, often bringing Fairfield students along, to help Perlitz at Project Pierre Toussaint, the school and home for homeless boys that Perlitz founded in Cap-Haitien, Haiti.
In 2006, Carrier was reassigned by the Jesuit Provincial of New England, who at the time was former Fairfield professor Rev. Thomas Regan, to sabbatical, a decision that the University played no role in. Regan nor the Jesuits of the New England Province responded to phone calls.
The indictment states that “Board Members of the Haiti Fund were chosen by a religious leader, who had met and befriended Perlitz while Perlitz attended college in Connecticut and who frequently communicated with and visited Perlitz in Haiti.”
The indictment states that the $2 million donated to the Haiti Fund was moved directly to a bank account in Haiti controlled by Perlitz, by the religious leader. The lawyer for the Haiti Fund, Richard Markert, told the Connecticut Post that it is unknown what the funds were used for, but the indictment states that Perlitz used portions of the money to give gifts to the boys he was abusing in exchange for sexual acts.
The religious leader was not named in the indictment and Thomas Carson, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Connecticut declined to comment to the Connecticut Post on whether Carrier was a target of the continuing investigation.
An internal investigation
Both Carrier and Perlitz were removed from the Haiti Fund last year following an internal investigation that revealed the allegations against Perlitz.
The investigation was the second in a short period of time conducted by the board, both run by outside counsel. The first investigation did not reveal any truth to the allegations, according to former board member Philip Allen Lacovara, a prominent New York attorney who also represents the Diocese of Bridgeport. Lacovara and other members of the board signed a letter supporting Perlitz.
“Our letter addressed a second round of investigation begun immediately after the completion of the first one, dealing with what I understood were the same vague allegations that had just been found unsubstantiated,” Lacovara stated. “Mr. Perlitz denied engaging in any improper behavior.”
According to Lacovara, the letter urged that Perlitz be presented “with the specifics of the allegations,” in order to address them.
“We noted that neither the signatories nor, as far as we were aware, any of the dozens of others who visited and worked on the project during the prior ten years — including doctors and mental health professionals — had observed anything in the interaction between Mr. Perlitz and the boys in the project suggesting that inappropriate conduct was taking place,” Lacovara added.
Haitian political turmoil
Fairfield politics professor Edward Dew, who has spent time in Haiti along with his wife and Carrier, is an expert on Latin America. Dew said that his impression of the country is that it “is a corrupt country with lots of problems.”
Perlitz spent time in Haiti while the government was overthrown, sticking with the boys he was helping, instead of abandoning them as many other volunteers did.
The resulting turmoil led to more instability and some of commented that Perlitz may have been the victim of false accusations.
“While I have no proof of corruption in the charges against Doug, I would be very dubious about individual claims or those broadcast on the local radio,” Dew said of the source of the original allegations.
Fairfield ties
Fairfield spokesperson Rama Sudhakar was clear on the separation between the University and the Haiti Fund.
“No tuition revenues were used at any time to support the Project,” Sudhakar said. ”Project Pierre Toussaint is an independent non-profit organization founded by Mr. Perlitz and the Haiti Fund, Inc.is an independently incorporated entity. Fairfield University did not have any role in their management or board oversight.
“Many individuals on campus and in the community have supported the Project. Collections received from individual supporters during weekly Masses [at the Egan Chapel] were used to support the Project, in addition to other charitable organizations and service activities,” Sudhakar added.
One member of the board was Laurence Miners, an economics professor. Miners said, speaking on only his own behalf, “I see no reason why Fairfield University’s reputation should be tarnished in any respect by what is alleged to have occurred.
“According to the indictment, even the board of directors of the charitable organization that directly funded PPT were unaware of Mr. Perlitz’s alleged wrongdoing until allegations concerning him became public,” Miners added.
Sudhakar said that the University will continue to practice the Jesuit teachings of social responsibility, even in the face of these charges against Perlitz
“There are no winners here, only victims,” Miners said.
“I keep the boys of Project Pierre Toussaint in my heart and in my prayers.”
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Finally a more objective article that points out more details about the early investigations, which did not reveal any signs of wrongdoing. The fact is that Haiti is a corrupt state, so we need to allow the investigation to proceed before we can determine whether he is guilty.
These salacious acts point to a need to investigate the potential for sex abuse of children in the programs of each Jesuit University that has links to humanitarian work in foreign countries.
Each Jesuit University in the USA needs to immediately inform the directors of university-related committees, which have links to humanitarian work in foreign countries, of the charges in the Fairfield-Haiti scandal.
It seems that a lot of people are running for cover or have opinions
about whether or not Perlitz sexually abused children. Thankfully,
“opinions” didn’t lead to a federal grand jury indictment.
The grand jury indicted Perlitz based on evidence collected
by a private investigator, by the Haitian National Police, by an investigator
assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Port au Prince and by
the U.S. Customs Service and Homeland Security. How is it
that Lacavaro, Dew and Miners know so much more than
all these investigative agencies? The brave kids who reported
their abuse by Perlitz to officials are the heroes of this story
These kids were threatened and intimidated by Perlitz during the
investigations. Perhaps, Mr. Lacavaro and others who helped
bring down the Haiti project by their unfounded defense of
Perlitz will now use their considerable influence in the Catholic
community to raise $1 million to allow the Project
to get back on its feet during the next few years. Lacavaro,
Fairfield grad, Tom Tisdale, Rev. Paul Carrier and others
must be held accountable for their role in persuading large donors
that Perlitz was unfairly fired as Executive Director.
Paul Kendrick, please do not indict the supporters of a ministry designed to help abandoned kids. If board members sided with Perlitz, they did so in good faith for the work he had done. Indeed, they may have been duped terribly. But we can reasonably see how. If the accusations turn out to be true, no one should feel shame for supporting this project. Examine what went wrong and put in whatever safeguards are appropriate, but let’s not tar those who supported the project through donations or their own work in an impoversished land. It is too easy to lay blame here.
I’m not sure why this is so difficult to
comprehend.
It is a fact that disgruntled former PPT board
members wrote a letter to donors in which
they disparaged the decision to fire Perlitz.
Because of this letter and other remarks they
made, donations dried up and the Project
was forced to close. Because these self serving
people did not get their way about Perlitz,
they turned away from the children in Haiti
who so needed the program. Their actions
are despicable.
This guy Kendrick looks like he is on a witch hunt. He says, “It is a fact that disgruntled former PPT board
members wrote a letter to donors in which
they disparaged the decision to fire Perlitz.
Because of this letter and other remarks they
made, donations dried up and the Project
was forced to close. Because these self serving
people did not get their way about Perlitz,
they turned away from the children in Haiti
who so needed the program. Their actions
are despicable.”
According to the news, they disparaged the decision to fire Perlitz because they did not believe the allegations! That is a logical decision. According to that other MIrror report, the board’s first investigative teams found nothing substantive to the allegations. So this is not a clear cut case. I’ve never seen someone with more of an agenda than Kendrick.
Bob, a good question for you and everyone else questioning the subsequent investigations is about how no Haitians were interviewed the first time around. And, ask about the “nned” for the second investigation…more details emerged perhaps? Hmmm…
If Father Carrier and the rest of the supporters of Doug were really so dedicated to the children of PPT, then how could they simply walk away from the children in order to support Doug? It’s clear that Fr. Paul was “supporting” Doug – not the children, all along.
In April 2008, the Jesuit Provincial ordered Carrier to resign as both Chairperson of the Haiti Fund and from his teaching position at Sacred Heart Convent School in Greenwich. Why?
Anyone who has ever served on a board of directors knows that
the majority prevails. When the decision was made to fire Perlitz,
the private investigator and the Haitian National Police had determined that the allegations of abuse were credible.
The Haiti Fund board members who supported Perlitz resigned
and sent a letter to donors defending Perlitz’s innocence and disparaging the amount of money that had been spent on a private investigator.
Thanks to their adversity, funds dried up and the Project closed. One would think that these disgruntled former board members and
other signers of the letter would have put aside their disagreement about the firing of Perlitz (by majority vote) and worked tirelessly to ensure that the Program continued to function
Their defense of Perlitz is much like the blind loyalty displayed
by Catholics when their parish priest is accused of child sex abuse.
The parishioners immediately rally around their popular priest
and turn against the victims.
Kendrick should be held accountable for his shameful and conclusive statements. He assumes what he sets out to prove: guilt. Disgusting human being. A throwback to the days of witchhunts and burnings at the stake. Every time you open your mouth, you do irreparable harm. If you are wrong, God, my friend, will not have mercy on your soul, nor should the justice system. If you are proven wrong, may you and the US Attorney for CT go to jail for a long time.
ANon…and if he’s right?