U.S. prosecutors on October 8 added a conspiracy-to-commit-torture charge against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, expanding the federal case that already accuses them of narcoterrorism, cocaine trafficking and weapons offenses.
The superseding indictment, unsealed in Manhattan federal court, alleges that the couple helped oversee a system of arbitrary detention, violence and torture intended to silence political opponents and preserve their hold on power. Prosecutors say the alleged abuses included electric shocks, beatings, asphyxiation, sexual assault, forced nudity, starvation and prolonged isolation. The filing identifies multiple alleged victims, including American citizens held in Venezuelan custody, and claims that thousands of other Venezuelans were threatened, detained or abused.
Prosecutors allege Maduro received updates about interrogations and approved or encouraged abusive treatment, while Flores allegedly helped develop the broader repressive system. Both defendants have denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the earlier drug-related charges. They have been held in New York since U.S. forces seized them in Venezuela in January 2026, according to reports.
Flores’ request for house arrest was rejected on October 8, while the case is scheduled for trial in June 2027.