Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Gay Couple Accused Of Raping Multiple Adopted Children Will Face Trial
By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 7, 2013
Modified Apr 7, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
l.
By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 7, 2013
Modified Apr 7, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
George Harasz and Douglas Wirt, a married couple living in Connecticut, were arrested in 2011 and accused of sexually assaulting two of their nine adopted boys. The two men had agreed to a plea deal in January, pleading no contest to one felony count each of risk of injury to a minor, a reduction from the much more serious sexual assault charges. But that deal was scuttled on Friday after new allegations of abuse by three more of the nine children came to light. And the couple have decided they want to go to trial to clear their names.
Since 2000, 49-year-old Harasz and 45-year-old Wirth—who run a dog breeding business called The Puppy Guy—had adopted three sets of triples. Two of the boys, ages 5 and 15, initially accused Harasz of sexually assaulting them. Harasz was charged with first-degree sexual assault and Wirth was charged with third-degree sexual assault of the 15-year-old boy.
One of the alleged victims testified in court previously that he had been abused by the two since he was 6 years old. The teen claimed Harasz and Wirth would touch and violate him, and would make him perform sexual acts on the two of them. "They took turns raping me over and over," the accuser said. "Anyone who would do this to a child is a sick, demented person."
But another of their adopted sons, Carlos Harasz, said that he had never seen any abuse over the 10 years he has lived with them. The abuse his adopted sibling described, he claimed, had occurred at the hands of other foster parents. "When you go through foster care, you have a lot of issues," he said. "When you've been with 20 other families who've done you wrong, somebody has to take the blame. It doesn't have to be the people who saved our lives."
He insisted that the couple had given him and his brothers a "normal, painless life" after years of being abused and neglected. He blamed the police and the state Department of Children and Families for failing to properly investigate: they "took the word of an angry, damaged, disturbed boy and destroyed a family." He said "DCF was played by my brothers."
"I think the only proper resolution of this matter is to try it," said prosecutor David Zagaja in court Friday. Police have been ordered to investigate the latest claims, and both parties will be back in court in June.
Tagged
adopted
connecticut
Douglas Wirth
gay
George Harasz
rape
trial
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .