US Charges Nicolás Maduro and Wife with Torture Conspiracy

Federal prosecutors in New York have charged Nicolás Maduro, the ousted president of Venezuela, and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiracy to commit torture. A superseding indictment filed in the Southern District of New York alleges the couple oversaw a state-sponsored system of repression involving electric shocks, asphyxiation, beatings, and simulated drowning to maintain power. The charges specifically include the torture of American citizens, including members of the CITGO 6 and other detainees held at the Boleita Norte prison in Caracas.

Maduro and Flores were captured by U.S. forces during a midnight raid in Caracas in January 2026 and are currently held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. These new torture charges supplement existing indictments for narco-terrorism, cocaine importation, and weapons possession, to which both have pleaded not guilty. If convicted, they face a mandatory minimum of 50 years in prison.

In recent court proceedings, Cilia Flores requested release to house arrest, citing severe heart problems and weight loss. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied the request, ruling that Flores poses an extreme flight risk due to her access to funds. Maduro's legal team has challenged the proceedings based on presidential immunity, while Maduro has characterized his capture as a kidnapping. A trial for the couple is scheduled for June 1, 2027.