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Published on: February 23, 2026

Pastor Accused of Sexually Abusing Minor at Miami Church. How Leesfield & Partners has Represented Victims and Survivors for 50 Years.

A pastor at a church in Northwest Miami-Dade County is facing charges after police say he sexually abused a 15-year-old member of the congregation.

Elco Vallier, 50, of Loxahatchee, Florida, was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation and lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor.

At around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 9, the minor told police that Vallier sexually assaulted her on several occasions at the church, according to a Feb. 18 press release from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. The girl’s mother told deputies that she found “inappropriate text messages” on her daughter’s phone that she alleges are from Vallier.

Published on: February 26, 2025

Miami Jury: Founder of Haitian Orphanage Guilty of Sexually Abusing Minors. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

The three-week-long trial in the case of an American orphanage founder accused of sexually abusing multiple boys in Haiti ended Thursday with a guilty verdict.

Michael Geilenfeld, 73, of Colorado, was found guilty on six counts of engaging in illicit sexual contact with minors in a foreign place and one count of traveling from Miami to Haiti for that purpose Thursday in Miami federal court. He faces up to 30 years in prison on each of the charges, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

Geilenfeld was previously offered a plea deal to shorten his sentence but rejected it.

Published on: February 19, 2025

Broward County High School Teacher Faces Felony Charge After Student Reports ‘Disturbing Messages.’

By Leesfield & Partners

A teacher with the Broward County School District is facing felony charges after allegedly soliciting an 11^th grader, police say.

Lem McKinney, 40, of Broward County, was charged with a second-degree felony Tuesday after police said he solicited a student to engage in sexual conduct via social media. If convicted of the charge, penalties could include a fine of up to $10,000 and/or up to 15 years in prison.

McKinney was a social science teacher at J.P. Taravella High School, a public school located in Coral Springs.