U.S. prosecutors have filed a new superseding indictment charging former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiracy to commit torture. Already jailed in New York since their capture by U.S. special forces in January 2026, the couple is accused of overseeing a state-sponsored system of repression that tortured political opponents and three U.S. citizens. Meanwhile, Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied Flores's request for pretrial release on medical grounds.
New torture charges against Maduro
- ▪Nicolás Maduro's attorney, Barry Pollack, stated that Maduro denies the new torture charges and looks forward to his day in court.
- ▪U.S. prosecutors filed a superseding indictment on October 8, 2026, charging former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiracy to commit torture.
- ▪The indictment alleges that Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores headed a state-sponsored system of repression to suppress political opposition and maintain power in Venezuela from at least 1999 through 2025.
Details of the alleged torture
- ▪The indictment alleges that Cilia Flores helped develop the repressive system and ordered specific individuals to be tortured to protect her family's illegal activities.
- ▪The indictment alleges that detainees in Venezuela were subjected to torture methods including electric shocks, beatings, asphyxiation, rape, starvation, and prolonged isolation.
- ▪The indictment claims Nicolás Maduro approved specific torture methods, received updates on victims, and threatened to kill a prisoner's child as psychological torture.
Victims of the alleged torture
- ▪The superseding indictment alleges that the conspiracy to commit torture involved nine victims, including three unnamed United States citizens.
- ▪Former U.S. Marine Matthew Heath, who was detained in Venezuela from 2020 to 2022, expressed support for the new criminal prosecution of Nicolás Maduro.
- ▪One U.S. citizen victim, whose description matches Osman Khan, was detained in 2022 and subjected to electric shocks, beatings, and forced to eat his own vomit.
Cilia Flores's pretrial release request
- ▪U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied Cilia Flores's request for pretrial release to house arrest on October 8, 2026, ruling she is a flight risk.
- ▪Cilia Flores's attorneys argued for her release citing health issues, including a heart condition, high blood pressure, and a 25-pound weight loss in detention.
Capture of Maduro and Flores
- ▪The Trump administration defended the January 3, 2026 raid to capture Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores as a surgical law enforcement operation.
- ▪U.S. special forces captured Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores on January 3, 2026, during a predawn military raid on their home in Caracas, Venezuela.
Prior drug trafficking charges
- ▪Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores previously pleaded not guilty to the drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges.
- ▪The trial for Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores on the federal charges is scheduled to begin on June 1, 2027, before U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein.
- ▪Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores were already detained in New York facing federal charges of narco-terrorism and cocaine importation conspiracy.
Debatable claims
- ▪Nicolás Maduro is entitled to head-of-state immunity from prosecution in the United States
- ▪The US prosecution of Nicolás Maduro for torture represents selective justice
- ▪The US military raid to capture Nicolás Maduro in Caracas was justified
- ▪US prosecutions of foreign dictators effectively deter the kidnapping of American citizens
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