2/28/13 - A Miami jury has found a Livingston County man guilty of sexually abusing poor boys at a residential center he operated in Haiti. The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes this afternoon before convicting Matthew Carter of Brighton on five counts of traveling from Florida to Haiti for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with minors. He was also found guilty of one count of attempting child sex tourism. Carter ran the Morning Star Center in Haiti from 1995 until his 2011 arrest at Miami International Airport, when the Haitian government took the rare step of shutting down the center. Former Morning Star residents testified during the three-week trial that they were molested by Carter as children. Carter denied the allegations of sexual abuse when he took the stand Tuesday. During closing arguments this morning, Prosecutor Bonnie Kane said nothing was for free at the center and that Carterâs routine was well-established, with him forcing vulnerable children to engage in sexual acts in exchange for food, clothes, toys, a place to sleep and an education. Defense attorney Stuart Adelstein said no physical evidence supported the allegations. Carter faces up to 15 years in prison for the sex tourism charge and up to 30 years in prison on each of the other counts. A sentencing date is pending. (JM)
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