Maduro Faces New Charge of Torturing US Citizens in Custody
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife face a new criminal charge that they are responsible for the alleged torture of US citizens detained in the South American country.
Prosecutors in New York filed the new criminal count Thursday, adding to existing charges against Maduro, 63. The government specifically said that Maduro conspired in the torture of nine people, three of whom were US citizens.
Venezuelan officers detained an American identified only as “Victim-7,” who was tortured over two or three days, then transferred to a prison where he endured beatings, electric shocks, asphyxiation, forced injections and deprivation of food and water over 8 1/2 months, according to the new court filing. At least two other US citizens allegedly suffered similar torture and injuries.
“This is the epitome of corruption,” Manhattan US Attorney Jamie McDonald said after a court hearing Thursday. “We will stop at nothing to vindicate the victims of violent crime, particularly American victims subjected to horrific treatment abroad.”
The new charges are the first added to the case since the dramatic capture of Maduro and his wife in Venezuela earlier this year during a US military operation. At the time of the arrest, prosecutors accused Maduro of using his positions in government for a quarter of a century to enrich himself and help transport cocaine into the US.
“President Maduro denies the charges in the new indictment and looks forward to his day in court,” Barry J. Pollack, a lawyer for Maduro, said in an email.
Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, was in Manhattan federal court Thursday seeking to be released from jail, claiming prison authorities can’t adequately manage her healthcare needs. A lawyer for Flores told a judge at a bail hearing that she likely requires heart surgery.
Lawyers for Flores, 69, asked US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein to allow her to move into home detention, with a GPS monitor and supervised by armed guards. The judge denied the request, calling the government’s evidence against her “quite strong” and citing the possibility she could flee before trial.
“There’s always ways to get out,” Hellerstein said, rejecting Flores’ lawyers claims she wouldn’t have the ability to escape the US. “She has access to considerable funds.”
In addition to lodging the new torture conspiracy charge against both defendants, prosecutors in Thursday’s filing extended a charge of narco-terrorism conspiracy, previously made against Maduro, to include Flores as well.
Both have pleaded not guilty to the previous charges. Maduro has also said he is immune from prosecution as the former leader of a sovereign nation.
A trial date has been set for June and they could spend the rest of their lives in prison if convicted.
Violence, Threats, Torture
Prosecutors claim Maduro and Flores used violence, threats, torture and illegal detentions of Venezuelans and other opponents within the country to maintain their power in the face of a disastrous economy and internal unrest.
In the latest filing, prosecutors said that Victim-7 was arrested in January 2022 upon entering Venezuela. He was held at the Boleita Norte prison in Caracas, where he allegedly witnessed the abuse of other American prisoners.
“Victim-8,” was arrested in August 2023 while traveling to Venezuela to visit family, according to the charges. Officers attacked him, causing a severe back injury that required a hospital stay, under 24-hour guard. When he was returned to Boleita Norte by ambulance, an officer electrocuted Victim-8 and put a gun in his mouth, telling him to “say goodbye to everyone he knew.”
One Venezuelan prosecutor told Victim-8 his American citizenship and potential use in a prisoner exchange was the only reason he remained alive, according to prosecutors.
“Victim-9,” a third US citizen, was arrested in January 2025 and suffered a permanent eye injury during two days of beatings. He was released only after a year in custody, according to the charges.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
