Horror tales of abuse at L.I. perv trial

AN ACCUSED Long Island pedophile created a “house of horrors” where he molested at least eight foster kids, prosecutors said Wednesday.

“It was a horrific place to live,” Suffolk County prosecutor Laurie Moroff said during her opening statement in the abuse trial of Cesar Gonzales-Mugaburu.

Prosecutors said Gonzales-Mugaburu (photo) molested eight boys and sexually abused a dog in front of a child.

In addition to the sexual abuse, the kids were subjected to “eating on the floor, not allowed to do anything without asking for permission, including going to the bathroom,” she told the jury.

Prosecutors said Gonzales-Mugaburu, 60, watched as many as six to eight children at a time since at least 1996, records show.

“It was like a candy store. Boys, more boys, young boys,” Moroff said.

The accused molester was arrested in January 2016 after authorities said two boys in his care reported abuse to a caseworker. His lawyer, Donald Mates, maintains that no abuse ever took place at his client’s home in Ridge.

“He opened his heart and his home to these troubled children, and now he’s being crucified by the system,” Mates added. “This big bureaucracy has whipped up a frenzy, a witch hunt.”

Gonzales-Mugaburu earned more than $1.5 million over two decades as a foster parent, caring for particularly troubled boys, which entitled him to a higher income than a traditional foster parent.

The case triggered a probe into New York’s foster care system that found “abysmal” communication among the child welfare agencies involved.

A scathing 83-page report released by Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota last month outlined a massive series of failures that allowed Gonzales-Mugaburu to take in more than 100 children over 20 years, despite being the subject of 18 separate child abuse investigations. None of those investigations led to criminal charges.

“They washed their hands of the children entirely and never looked back,” Spota said after the report’s release. “Not once did anyone from ACS ever visit the house to check on the children. I find that outrageous.”

The report’s recommendations included eliminating the New York State statute of limitations on child abuse cases, a cause advocated by the Daily News.

Gonzales-Mugaburu has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment, sexual misconduct and other charges.

His trial is expected to last several weeks.