Agencies
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are expected to face additional criminal charges in the United States over allegations that Americans detained in Venezuela were tortured while in government custody.
The new charges could be announced as soon as Thursday by federal prosecutors in New York, according to people familiar with the investigation cited by CNN and other U.S. media. The allegations concern more than a dozen American citizens who were reportedly detained in Venezuelan prisons during Maduro’s years in power.
U.S. investigators are also considering charges against several other individuals who allegedly played roles in the mistreatment of American detainees, potentially expanding the case beyond Maduro and Flores.
The allegations add another major dimension to the criminal proceedings already facing the former Venezuelan leader and his wife. Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to existing U.S. charges, including allegations involving narcoterrorism and drug trafficking. Their trial is currently expected to begin in June 2027.
The investigation focuses on Americans who were detained by Venezuelan authorities during Maduro’s presidency. Some former detainees have previously described severe treatment in Venezuelan prisons.
Among them are Matthew Heath and Osman Khan, who were released in a 2022 prisoner exchange. In a subsequent lawsuit, they alleged that they were subjected to practices including waterboarding, electrocution, threats of sexual assault and prolonged solitary confinement.
Another group involved in the allegations is the so-called “CITGO Six,” six American oil executives who were arrested in Venezuela in 2017 and spent years in detention. Some members of the group have also alleged mistreatment while imprisoned.
A United Nations investigation previously documented allegations of torture and other abuses at Venezuela’s General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence, known as DGCIM. The allegations included beatings, suffocation, electric shocks, waterboarding, sexual violence and deprivation of food and water.
Also Read: Iran And Oman Agree Safe Routes Through Strait Of Hormuz
The possible new charges follow the dramatic capture of Maduro and Flores during a U.S. military operation in Caracas in January. The couple was subsequently brought to New York, where they have remained in U.S. custody.
Maduro, who governed Venezuela from 2013 until his removal, has denied the U.S. allegations and pleaded not guilty. His lawyers have challenged the case, while the broader proceedings have generated significant political and legal controversy.
The U.S. government has accused Maduro of using state power to facilitate drug trafficking and protect criminal networks. Prosecutors allege that the former Venezuelan government was involved in a conspiracy to move large quantities of cocaine into the United States.
The expected torture-related charges come as Flores is separately seeking release from federal detention on health grounds.
Her lawyers are asking a New York judge to allow her to move to house arrest under strict monitoring, arguing that she has experienced serious health problems while incarcerated. Prosecutors have opposed the request, arguing that she presents a flight risk and a potential danger to the public.
Flores is scheduled to appear in federal court as the legal battle over her detention continues.
The potential new charges could significantly broaden the case against the former Venezuelan first couple and bring allegations concerning the treatment of American detainees directly into the U.S. prosecution.
For now, the allegations remain matters for the courts to determine, and prosecutors have not publicly disclosed all the evidence or identified every individual who could face additional charges.
