U.S. expands case against Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores with torture charge

U.S. prosecutors have expanded the case against former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, accusing them of conspiring to commit torture as part of an alleged campaign of repression aimed at maintaining their hold on power.

The new indictment, filed Thursday in federal court in New York, adds the torture conspiracy charge to existing drug trafficking allegations against the couple. Prosecutors allege that Venezuelan security forces subjected political opponents, military personnel and other detainees—including at least three U.S. citizens—to torture between 2013 and 2022.

According to the indictment, the alleged abuses included electric shocks, beatings, suffocation, threats against detainees and their families, and other forms of physical and psychological abuse. Prosecutors claim the methods were used to obtain information, punish perceived opponents and intimidate those challenging the government.

The indictment alleges that Maduro authorized torture against specific individuals and oversaw a system in which arbitrary detention and violence were used as tools of political repression. Prosecutors also accuse Flores of intervening in decisions concerning the treatment of some detainees.

Among the cases cited are a Venezuelan military officer allegedly tortured in 2013 after being accused of plotting against Maduro and a U.S. citizen detained in 2022 over an alleged assassination plot. Prosecutors also describe the alleged torture of three other U.S. citizens, including one who reportedly suffered permanent eye injuries and another who required prolonged hospitalization following an assault.

The new charges also broaden the drug-related case against Flores. Prosecutors now accuse her of conspiring with Maduro and others to distribute cocaine with the intent of providing resources to terrorist organizations, a charge previously brought against Maduro.

Maduro and Flores were captured by U.S. forces in Caracas on January 3, 2026, and transferred to New York, where they remain detained while their federal case proceeds. Both have pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations.

The charges remain allegations and have not been established in court.

Separately, a federal judge is scheduled to consider a request by Flores’ lawyers for house arrest. Her defense argues that she has experienced a serious and progressive heart condition that has worsened during her detention.