Missionary pleads guilty to child abuse in Haiti

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Federal authorities say a self-proclaimed Christian missionary from Virginia has pleaded guilty to travelling to Haiti and engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.

Prosecutors say 40-year-old James Daniel Arbaugh pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of travelling in foreign commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a person under 18. Sentencing is set for June 13.

Officials say Arbaugh admitted that, in 2016, he engaged in illicit sexual contact with a minor under the age of 12 by touching the child’s genitals.

Arbaugh was arrested last year after allegedly telling a counsellor in Virginia that he had sexual contact with minors in Haiti.

The counsellor reported Arbaugh to authorities, who claim he later told investigators that he groomed or had sexual contact with at least 21 boys.