Riverhead, NY - April 24, 2017 - Jury deliberations are scheduled to begin today in Riverhead in the trial of a Ridge foster father charged with sexually abusing boys in his care, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.
The trial of Cesar Gonzales-Mugaburu opened on March 29 and concluded Friday afternoon (4/21) with summations.
A 17-count indictment charges Mugaburu, 60, with predatory sexual assault against a child, criminal sexual act in the second and third degree, course of sexual conduct against a child and other crimes.
The top count, predatory sexual assault against a child, is a class “A” felony punishable by a maximum of 25 years to life in prison upon conviction, DA Spota said. The crimes in the indictment are alleged to have occurred from 1996 to 2015.
Judge Barbara Kahn’s instructions to the jury are expected to commence at 11:00 am Monday.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.