New York Prosecutors Prepare Added Charges Against Maduro and Flores Over Alleged Torture
If new charges are filed, they would represent a further escalation of U.S. Federal legal pressure on the Venezuelan government at a moment when Flores is already contesting her detention...
Federal prosecutors in New York are preparing additional charges against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, former National Assembly president Cilia Flores, related to alleged torture of U.S. Nationals, according to El Nacional VE. The report states the prospective charges would also extend to individuals alleged to have carried out the mistreatment directly, not only those at the command level.
The timing of the reported charging preparation coincides with a court hearing scheduled this week for Flores, at which her legal defense team is seeking a modification of her detention to house arrest, according to the same El Nacional report. The outcome of that hearing is not yet known as of publication.
Flores has been in U.S. Custody following her arrest, the circumstances of which have not been publicly detailed in available sourcing. The specific court docket and presiding judge have not been identified in the El Nacional report, and those details would be required to track the formal procedural status of any new charges.
Maduro has not been arrested and remains in Venezuela as of the publication date of this article. U.S. Prosecutors filed narco-terrorism charges against Maduro in March 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Justice's public records from that period. The 2020 indictment, unsealed by the Southern District of New York, alleged Maduro and co-conspirators participated in a narco-terrorism conspiracy in coordination with the FARC guerrilla organization in Colombia.
The reported new charges, if filed, would be distinct from the 2020 indictment and would center on alleged torture of U.S. Citizens rather than narco-terrorism, according to El Nacional. The identities of the alleged American victims have not been disclosed in available sourcing.
A related case now before a federal judge involves a U.S. Soldier's lawsuit connected to a Polymarket prediction market contract tied to speculation about a U.S. Raid involving Maduro. The Congressional Times has reported separately on that proceeding: Federal Judge Weighs Dismissal of Soldier's Polymarket Case Tied to Maduro Raid.
The United States has maintained broad sanctions against Venezuela's government, including targeted sanctions on named officials, under authority granted by executive orders and the Global Magnitsky Act. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control lists Maduro and numerous Venezuelan officials as designated individuals. Those designations are separate from criminal indictments.
Venezuela's government has consistently rejected the jurisdiction of U.S. Courts over its officials and has characterized U.S. Legal proceedings as politically motivated. Official Venezuelan government statements responding to the specific new charges reported by El Nacional were not available in the source material as of publication.
The move comes as Venezuela's political situation remains contested internationally. The July 2024 presidential election, in which Maduro claimed victory, was disputed by opposition candidate Edmundo González and a significant number of foreign governments, including the United States, which did not recognize Maduro's declared result, according to State Department public statements from that period.
The scope of the prospective charges, the names of any co-defendants beyond Maduro and Flores, and the formal timeline for filing remain unknown. A public filing in the Southern District of New York or another federal district court would be the authoritative source to confirm the charges, their specific counts, and the identities of all named parties.