A former missionary with an Ohio-based ministry pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges for sexually abusing two boys in Haiti. Jeriah Mast, 45, of Millersburg, Ohio, entered the plea in federal court in Cleveland, admitting to offenses that occurred between 2002 and 2019.
Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, Mast and the government recommended a sentence between 25 and 33 years, although the judge will make the final sentencing decision. Sentencing is scheduled for December 15. Mast previously told police in 2019 that he had molested more than 30 boys in Haiti and four children in Ohio.
Mast made mission trips to Haiti for years, working for Millersburg-based Christian Aid Ministries, which supports missionary activities for Amish, conservative Mennonite, and related church groups. Mast belonged to a church within a related Anabaptist movement.
His case has brought attention to wider issues of sexual abuse within conservative Anabaptist communities. Advocates state that victims in these communities can face pressure to reconcile with abusers rather than pursue external prosecution due to a strong emphasis on forgiveness.
Mast was arrested on federal charges in November, shortly after his early release from a state prison sentence for a previous sexual abuse conviction in Ohio. He was indicted in December on four federal charges related to illicit sexual conduct in a foreign country. The indictment alleged abuse of four boys in Haiti, with one incident in 2004 and two in 2011.
His guilty plea specifically covers the 2004 case and one of the 2011 cases, both involving minors between the ages of 12 and 16. Prosecutors agreed to drop the remaining two charges, though Mast admitted to the factual basis of those charges as part of the plea agreement. The federal charges stem from a U.S. law prohibiting citizens from engaging in illicit sexual conduct overseas.
Mast's attorney had sought to dismiss the charges in May, arguing the law overstepped Congress's constitutional authority to regulate citizens' conduct abroad. The court denied this motion in August. The plea agreement indicates Mast reserves the right to appeal that ruling.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division stated that Mast's predatory conduct, particularly by someone entrusted with missionary work, represents a profound betrayal of trust and that the plea is an important step toward justice for the victims.
This marks the second guilty plea for Mast in a sexual abuse case. He was sentenced in 2019 to nine years in prison on state charges for gross sexual imposition involving two boys in Ohio. However, in October, he received early judicial release and was placed on probation. A retired judge granted his release based on an exemplary prison record, demonstrated remorse, and the emotional pain inflicted on victims and their families.
Federal prosecutors reportedly accelerated their investigation into Mast's actions in Haiti after learning of his early release from state prison.
Christian Aid Ministries, based in Holmes County, Ohio, one of the nation's largest Amish settlements, had previously placed two managers on leave in 2019. This followed revelations that the organization knew as early as 2013 that Mast had confessed to sexual misconduct but allowed him to continue his work.
Christian Aid Ministries' operations in Haiti gained international attention in 2021 when 17 missionaries and their children were kidnapped by a gang. They were later released, with some having been ransomed and others escaping, according to the organization.