US Adds Torture Charge Against Maduro and Flores
The new indictment alleges that Venezuela's former president and his wife used torture against opponents and US citizens to preserve their power. A judge separately rejected Cilia Flores's request for release for medical treatment.
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by Sami Haddad
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US prosecutors have charged former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiring to commit torture, widening a criminal case already built around drugs and weapons allegations.
The superseding indictment, unsealed in Manhattan on October 8, alleges that the couple helped maintain power through a system of repression that tortured political opponents and US citizens held in Venezuelan custody. The new count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if they are convicted.
Maduro and Flores have been held at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since US forces captured them in Caracas on January 3, 2026. They previously pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges, and their trial is scheduled for June 1, 2027.
The torture allegations have not been tested at trial. Maduro's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new charges, while Flores's lawyer said he had not yet had time to review them with her.
At a separate hearing, prosecutors opposed Flores's request for release for medical treatment, describing her as an "extreme flight risk" and citing potential danger, including witness intimidation. Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied the request.
