US Prosecutors Charge Maduro and Cilia Flores With Torture, bbc.com reports
- 8, 2026, charging former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiracy to commit torture against U.S.
- The updated indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court alleges that Maduro authorized the use of torture after assuming the presidency in 2013, supervising a repressive system directed against...
- 3, 2026, when Maduro and Flores were captured during a nighttime raid at their residence in Caracas, bbc.com reported.
Federal prosecutors in New York filed an indictment on Oct. 8, 2026, charging former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiracy to commit torture against U.S. citizens and other nationals, bbc.com reported. The new charges expand upon an existing federal case involving drug trafficking and narco-terrorism, introducing allegations that the couple orchestrated a systematic apparatus of state-sponsored violence, arbitrary detention, and physical abuse to maintain political control. Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, face five charges in total before a New York federal court.
The Expansion of Federal Charges in New York
The updated indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court alleges that Maduro authorized the use of torture after assuming the presidency in 2013, supervising a repressive system directed against political opponents and foreign nationals alike, according to bbc.com. The modified indictment adds specific counts of conspiracy to commit torture to the existing narcotics and weapons charges. Prosecutors state that the alleged abuses included electric shocks, simulated drowning, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, food deprivation, and severe psychological threats directed at prisoners and their families. It was noted that the prosecution’s case relies heavily on testimonies from at least three former high-ranking officials cooperating with authorities, identified in the indictment under the initials CC-1
, CC-2
and CC-3
.
Previous Indictments and Capture of Maduro and Flores
The legal proceedings follow an operation on Jan. 3, 2026, when Maduro and Flores were captured during a nighttime raid at their residence in Caracas, bbc.com reported. CNN en Español reported that Maduro’s defense counsel has contested the jurisdiction of the court, arguing that the former president should retain immunity for actions committed while in office. Both defendants remain held at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn following a judge’s decision to deny a motion for house arrest filed by Flores’s legal representation, citing health concerns and ongoing medical evaluations. Maduro’s attorney, Barry J. Pollack, stated that his client denies the new charges and looks forward to his day in court.
Allegations of Torture Against American Citizens
The newly introduced counts detail numerous instances of abuse directed at more than a dozen American citizens and other foreign nationals detained in Venezuelan custody, according to bbc.com. CNN en Español reported that specific incidents cited by prosecutors involved victims such as oil executives from the “Citgo 6” group, who were detained for nearly five years under harsh conditions, as well as American nationals held on alleged conspiracy allegations. Court documents outline methods including waterboarding, repeated beatings, and targeted interrogations conducted within facilities operated by the Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence, known as the DGCIM. According to the prosecution, an official was suspended only by the hands and feet and subjected to waterboarding roughly 30 times, while another U.S. citizen accused of conspiring to assassinate Maduro was detained and tortured in January 2022 before being released and returning to the United States in October. Prosecutors also detailed that in January 2025, an American citizen was detained at home and taken to a detention center basement with a hooded head and hands cuffed behind the back. The 6 de Citgo
executives, consisting of six oil executives lured to Venezuela in 2017, also reported brutal conditions under custody, with Tomeu Vadell, Alirio José Zambrano, and José Luis Zambrano filing lawsuits against their employer, Citgo, alleging they were tortured while imprisoned after Maduro and his wife blamed the United States for Venezuela’s instability.
Judicial Proceedings and Scheduled Trial Date in June 2027
During court hearings, prosecutors successfully opposed requests for pretrial release, noting that Flores had declined specific medical procedures required to evaluate her fitness for detention conditions. Meanwhile, political developments in Venezuela have shifted governance following Maduro’s ouster, with Delcy Rodríguez assuming interim leadership.