NEW YORK – U.S. prosecutors have filed new charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, accusing them of conspiracy to commit torture against political opponents and U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela.
The new allegations expand the federal criminal case already pending against the couple in the United States, where they also face drug-trafficking charges.
According to prosecutors, the torture-related charges concern alleged abuses committed during Maduro’s years in power and involve Venezuelan political opponents as well as American citizens who were detained by Venezuelan authorities.
Among the incidents cited by prosecutors is the 2013 detention and alleged torture of a Venezuelan military officer accused of participating in a purported coup attempt.
The indictment also refers to the alleged mistreatment in 2022 of a U.S. citizen who was detained in Venezuela.
The new charges place allegations concerning the conduct of Venezuelan security forces more directly within the criminal proceedings against Maduro and Flores.
The couple was captured during a U.S. military operation in Caracas on January 3, 2026 and subsequently transferred to New York. They are currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges against them.
The additional torture conspiracy allegations come on top of the narcotics case being pursued by U.S. federal prosecutors. That case accuses Maduro, Flores and others of involvement in a long-running cocaine-trafficking operation.
Their trial is currently scheduled to begin on June 1, 2027, according to court documents cited by Reuters.
The latest indictment represents allegations by U.S. prosecutors and does not constitute a finding of guilt. Maduro and Flores are presumed innocent unless and until the charges against them are proven in court.