US Set to Charge Maduro, Wife Over Alleged Torture of Americans

US Set to Charge Maduro, Wife Over Alleged Torture of Americans

The United States is preparing to file new criminal charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, over allegations that American citizens were tortured while detained in Venezuela during Maduro’s rule.

The new charges could be announced as early as Thursday, according to reports citing a US official familiar with the investigation.

The case reportedly centres on allegations involving more than a dozen US citizens detained in Venezuelan government custody during Maduro’s 13-year presidency.

US prosecutors in New York are also considering charges against other individuals allegedly involved in the mistreatment of American detainees.

The precise charges and identities of all the alleged victims had not been publicly disclosed at the time of reporting.

The Manhattan US Attorney’s Office, which is already prosecuting Maduro and Flores in a separate federal case, has declined to comment on the reported new charges.

Lawyers representing the couple have also not publicly responded to the allegations.

Maduro and Flores are already facing US federal charges linked to an alleged drug-trafficking conspiracy. They were taken into US custody after being captured in Caracas on January 3 and transferred to New York to face prosecution.

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Both have pleaded not guilty to the existing charges and are scheduled to stand trial in June 2027.

The new allegations could significantly broaden the US prosecution of the former Venezuelan president and his wife by bringing alleged human-rights abuses against American detainees into the criminal case.

US authorities have previously accused the Maduro government of wrongfully detaining American citizens and using their imprisonment as leverage in dealings with Washington.

Among those detained during Maduro’s administration were the CITGO 6, five US oil executives arrested in Venezuela on corruption-related allegations. They were released in 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange.

Two former US Army Special Forces members were also detained in Venezuela in 2020 after being accused of participating in an unsuccessful operation against Maduro. They were released in 2023 as part of another prisoner exchange.

Former detainees have separately made allegations of serious physical and psychological abuse while in Venezuelan custody.

In a related civil case, three Americans who were detained in Venezuela were awarded $314 million in damages by a US federal judge in July after alleging that they were subjected to physical and psychological torture during their imprisonment.

The expected criminal charges would therefore add to a series of legal actions stemming from the treatment of Americans detained under the Maduro government.

Flores is also seeking release from US custody on health grounds, with her lawyers asking that she be placed under house arrest while the case proceeds. Prosecutors have opposed the request.

The reported move comes after Maduro’s removal from power and transfer to the United States, with Venezuela now under the leadership of former vice president Delcy Rodríguez.

If filed, the new charges would place additional legal pressure on Maduro and Flores as they prepare to defend themselves against the existing US federal prosecution.

The allegations remain subject to judicial proceedings, and Maduro and Flores are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

US Set to Charge Maduro, Wife Over Alleged Torture of Americans