Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face fresh US charges over allegations that they used torture and unlawful detention to suppress political opposition.
A superseding indictment unsealed Thursday in Manhattan federal court charges both with conspiracy to commit torture, adding to existing narcoterrorism and drug-related charges.
Prosecutors allege Maduro authorised torture after taking office in 2013 and oversaw a system of detention and abuse targeting opponents. Flores is accused of helping sustain the system.
The indictment details alleged abuses against American detainees, including cases in which their citizenship allegedly made them potential bargaining assets in dealings with Washington. Victim-8 was allegedly attacked while visiting relatives in Venezuela and later subjected to electric shocks during his transfer to prison.
Victim-9 was allegedly beaten repeatedly in custody in 2024 after Maduro claimed victory in Venezuela’s disputed presidential election. Prosecutors said the attacks permanently damaged his eye. He was released on Jan. 15, 2026, about two weeks after Maduro’s removal from power.
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Victim-7, an American detained in 2022 over an alleged plot to assassinate Maduro, was allegedly tortured before and after his transfer to Boleita Norte prison. Prosecutors cite electric shocks, asphyxiation, deprivation of food and water and forced injections among the alleged abuses.
The case follows years of international allegations of arbitrary detention, torture and persecution of political opponents under Maduro’s government.
Maduro and Flores were captured by US forces in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026, and brought to New York. Both pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges and remain in custody. Their trial is set for June 1, 2027.
Maduro’s lawyers argue that he is protected by sovereign immunity as Venezuela’s former head of state, a position US prosecutors reject.
Flores sought release on medical grounds before US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein on Thursday. Her lawyers proposed house arrest with round-the-clock security, but prosecutors cited flight-risk and witness-interference concerns.
Hellerstein denied the request and ordered her to remain in custody. The torture allegations have not been proven in court, and both defendants remain presumed innocent unless convicted.