United States prosecutors are preparing to file new charges against ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, related to the alleged torture of American citizens held in Venezuela, a US official confirmed late Wednesday.
The indictment is expected to be unsealed as early as Thursday and reportedly pertains to the wrongful detention of more than a dozen US nationals during Maduro’s thirteen-year tenure in power. Authorities are also evaluating whether to bring charges against other individuals allegedly complicit in the abuse. Specific details regarding the victims and the exact nature of the new charges were not immediately released.
Maduro and Flores, both already facing existing federal charges for drug trafficking and firearms offenses, are currently being held at a federal detention center in Brooklyn. Their trial is scheduled to commence in June 2027.
Meanwhile, Cilia Flores, 69, is set to appear in Manhattan federal court on Thursday to request a transfer from jail to house arrest on medical grounds. Her legal team states that she has lost 25 pounds while in custody, suffers from dizziness and shortness of breath, and may have experienced a minor heart attack in July. Her attorneys have proposed that she reside at a New York property under 24-hour security supervision.
Prosecutors have opposed the motion, arguing that Flores presents an extreme risk of flight and poses a danger to the public. They noted that she has received necessary medical treatment while incarcerated.
The couple was apprehended during a nighttime raid on their Caracas residence on January 3. The operation was described by US President Donald Trump as a “surgical law enforcement operation,” though critics argued it violated international law. Maduro has consistently denied wrongdoing, referring to himself as a prisoner of war and labeling his capture as kidnapping.
In a separate development this August, Trump announced that the United States had secured an agreement to manage portions of Venezuela’s significant oil reserves, a move Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodriguez described as historic.
House arrest for Flores? She already fled justice once. I doubt she’s getting out of Brooklyn anytime soon.
I hope the American hostages receive justice and compensation. It’s disturbing to think about what they endured.
Torture charges add serious weight to the existing drug case. The June 2027 trial will be a lengthy legal battle.