Nicolás Maduro, wife face new criminal charges
Both have been held in Brooklyn since American forces captured them in Caracas in January.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are now facing fresh criminal charges in the United States. They are accused of conspiring to torture political opponents and American citizens. This comes alongside existing drug-trafficking charges they are already serving time for in New York. The new indictment adds the charge of conspiracy to commit torture to their existing allegations.
Prosecutors claim the couple employed brutal tactics to retain power, including beatings and electric shocks. They are alleged to have tortured a Venezuelan military officer in 2013 and an American detainee in 2022. Despite a recent federal judge's rejection of Flores' request for release due to health concerns, she remains in custody in Brooklyn, alongside her husband.
Both have pleaded not guilty to the earlier drug charges. Their trial date has been set for June of the following year.
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