A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Ohio has indicted an Ohio man on four counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors in Haiti.
According to court documents, Jeriah Mast, 44, of Millersburg, Ohio, traveled to Haiti on multiple occasions between 2002 and 2019, including through the Christian organization Christian Aid Ministries (CAM), and sexually abused several minors during those visits.
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Investigators reported that Mast took more than 30 flights between the United States and Haiti from November 2002 to August 2018. Each count in the indictment relates to his alleged abuse of a different minor.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division condemned the allegations, describing the crimes as “heinous, unspeakable acts committed against vulnerable children in an impoverished nation.” He emphasized that even when such crimes occur overseas, US authorities will pursue justice wherever they have jurisdiction.
US Attorney David Toepfer, for the Northern District of Ohio, echoed the sentiment, calling the alleged acts reprehensible. “Such appalling and morally corrupt behavior will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said, commending the work of Homeland Security Investigations and the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stentz noted that the case underscores the critical role of HSI in identifying offenders, including those in positions of trust who prey on children abroad. He said HSI Cleveland, working with the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Justice, is committed to ensuring that individuals who exploit minors overseas face accountability in the United States.
HSI Cleveland is leading the investigation with significant support from local authorities.
The indictment forms part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Justice Department initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
