James Arbaugh often traveled to Haiti from the U.S. as a missionary, but his visits were often just a ploy to exploit and sexually abuse children. Arbaugh, of Virginia, has been sentenced to 276 months (23 years) in prison for engaging in "illicit sexual conduct" with a minor.

"This kind of heinous and evil activity has no place here, abroad or in-transit," noted Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Lechleitner via a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) press release. "Those seeking to commit such abhorrent crimes and evade detection cannot hide from our highly skilled and dedicated investigators."

“James Arbaugh was a wolf in sheep’s clothing: he posed as a selfless missionary when in reality he was exploiting his position to prey on and sexually abuse vulnerable children in one of the most impoverished areas of the world,” noted Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “Today’s sentencing is a testament to the unwavering commitment of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners to hold sexual predators like Arbaugh accountable for their deplorable crimes.”

Arbaugh admitted, by a plea of guilt, he engaged in illicit sexual activity with a minor under the age of 12 in 2016, by touching the minor's genitals under their clothing, WSET reports. Additionally, Arbaugh raped at least 21 boys between the ages of five and 17, according to court documents. 

“The defendant abused his position of trust to prey on vulnerable victims, and their lives will never be the same,” said U.S. Attorney Cullen. “As this case indicates, our office is committed to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to identify and vigorously prosecute those who exploit children.”

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child sexual abuseHaitiJames ArbaughMissionaryVirginia