Oklahoma man convicted of illicit sexual conduct in Kenya

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – An Oklahoma man has been convicted of illicit sexual conduct with children at a Kenyan orphanage.

Jurors returned the guilty verdict Friday against 20-year-old Matthew Lane Durham. He was convicted on multiple federal sexual misconduct charges after a trial in Oklahoma City and faces decades in prison at sentencing.

Durham was acquitted on charges alleging he left Oklahoma with the intent to abuse children.

Durham began volunteering at the Upendo Children’s Home in Nairobi in 2012. He was accused of sexually abusing children between April and June 2014. He denied the accusations.

Five of the children testified during his trial in Oklahoma, as did orphanage officials. Prosecutors also presented signed statements Durham provided to orphanage officials detailing the alleged abuse.

Durham’s attorney says those statements were coerced by orphanage official.