This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
On June 15, 2020, Gregory Dow, a 61-year-old American man from Lancaster in Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to four counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor between 2013 and 2017.
According to the prosecution, Dow 'purported to be a Christian missionary who would care for these orphans. They called him 'Dad.' But instead of being a father figure for them, he preyed on their youth and vulnerability.'
He used the Dow Family Children's Home, which he established in 2008 with financial support from churches and non-profit organizations in the US, to commit the heinous crimes.
After being accused of defiling one of the girls at the orphanage in 2017, Dow fled the country together with his wife to avoid arrest and prosecution.
However, a tipster contacted the Lancaster County prosecutors' office last year, leading to an investigation that produced new charges against Dow for violating a U.S. law against sexual contact with minors in foreign countries.
As part of the plea agreement, Dow will serve 15 years and eight months in prison and then have to register as a sex offender.
