Florida missionary indicted on child sexual exploitation charges in Haiti
Key Points(5)
- A 70-year-old Florida missionary has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of engaging in and attempting to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minors in Haiti, following allegations of abuse spanning several years.
- Department of Justice announced Thursday, November 12, that Thomas Osbeck, of Fort Myers, Florida, was charged in the Southern District of Florida in connection with the alleged sexual exploitation of two Haitian boys.
- According to court documents, Osbeck regularly traveled from the United States to Haiti over the past three decades, during which prosecutors allege he sexually abused minors.
- Osbeck founded Jesus in Haiti Ministries and later Ignite Your Faith Ministries, organizations through which he took in vulnerable children across Haiti.
- The indictment alleges that Osbeck sexually abused a Haitian boy between approximately 2004 and 2008, when the child was between 8 and 12 years old.
A 70-year-old Florida missionary has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of engaging in and attempting to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minors in Haiti, following allegations of abuse spanning several years.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday, November 12, that Thomas Osbeck, of Fort Myers, Florida, was charged in the Southern District of Florida in connection with the alleged sexual exploitation of two Haitian boys.
According to court documents, Osbeck regularly traveled from the United States to Haiti over the past three decades, during which prosecutors allege he sexually abused minors.
Osbeck founded Jesus in Haiti Ministries and later Ignite Your Faith Ministries, organizations through which he took in vulnerable children across Haiti.
The indictment alleges that Osbeck sexually abused a Haitian boy between approximately 2004 and 2008, when the child was between 8 and 12 years old.
Prosecutors also accuse him of attempting to engage in a commercial sex act with another Haitian boy between approximately 2019 and 2020.
Osbeck was taken into custody in Haiti in late September 2026 following an investigation by Haitian authorities.
He was subsequently returned to the United States on October 14, where federal law enforcement officers arrested him upon his arrival at Miami International Airport.
According to the Justice Department, Osbeck has remained in custody since his arrest.
The charges were announced by Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Yara Lorenzo Klukas for the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI's Miami Field Office.
The FBI's Miami Field Office is investigating the case.
The allegations against Osbeck remain unproven, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
