Foster parent accused of sex abuse acquitted of all charges

Gonzales-Mugaburu, who didn’t testify in his own defence, was released from custody after the verdict in Suffolk County Court, but his attorney wouldn’t disclose where he’s staying. His previous home was boarded up.

The attorney said he doesn’t believe Gonzales-Mugaburu will ever be able to restore his reputation.

The verdict that cleared Gonzales-Mugaburu of 17 counts including abuse of the children, child endangerment and other crimes came on the seventh day of deliberations.

Jury foreman Tim Carney told Newsday he voted not guilty on all counts from the beginning because there were too many holes in the prosecution’s case.

“I could not put a man away for the rest of his life on what they gave us, the evidence they produced,” Carney said, adding that he believed some of the accusers’ testimony but the prosecution did not introduce evidence to support those accounts.

Prosecutors had painted Gonzales-Mugaburu, who lived in Ridge, on Long Island, as a monster and blamed the foster care system for systemic failures that allowed him to continue to take more than 100 boys into his home over 20 years.

A report released by Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said Gonzales-Mugaburu had been the subject of 18 child abuse investigations and there was a breakdown in communications between various agencies charged with investigating abuse allegations. None of those investigations led to criminal charges until his arrest in January 2016.

Mates, the defence attorney, previously said he disagreed with the findings in the 83-page report. He said there was no reason for the agencies to uncover abuse because it never happened.

Mates also said that at least some of the accusers had financial reasons to see Gonzales-Mugaburu convicted because they have sued an agency that placed them in his home.

Spota said in a statement that prosecutors were “extremely disappointed” with the verdict.

“We will continue to pursue justice in cases involving the sexual abuse of children, which often means pursuing cases based upon the information from the victim of the abuse sometimes years after the crimes when limited corroborative evidence is still available,” he said. “For those discouraged by this outcome, it is important to guard against any chilling effect that might result; especially a reluctance to report abuse.”

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This story has been corrected to show Gonzales-Mugaburu was charged with sexually abusing six children and endangering two, not sexually abusing eight children.

Frank Eltman, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Foster parent accused of sex abuse acquitted of all charges

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