Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are facing an additional charge of conspiracy to commit torture after federal prosecutors filed a superseding indictment Thursday in the Southern District of New York.
“As alleged in the indictment, the Maduro regime subjected over a dozen American citizens to torture while held in custody of the Venezuelan government — including drugs, electrocution, sexual assault, and more,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement on social media. “They will now answer for their crimes.”
The couple already faced multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
The 30-page indictment alleges that Maduro and Flores helped oversee a political repression apparatus that used Venezuela’s military, intelligence services and security forces to target opponents, suppress dissent and preserve their grip on power.
Prosecutors said the alleged campaign included arbitrary detention and torture of political opponents, including U.S. citizens. The indictment describes alleged abuse involving electric shocks, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, extended isolation, starvation, punishment cells and psychological threats against detainees and their families, including children.
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Maduro and Flores were indicted by a federal grand jury in January over what prosecutors described as a scheme to move “thousands of tons” of cocaine into the United States while enriching the couple, their relatives and senior Venezuelan officials.
The U.S. military took the couple into custody during an overnight operation and transported them to the United States to face the charges. Both have pleaded not guilty to the original allegations.
According to prosecutors, Maduro directed officials to detain and torture political rivals, received frequent reports on interrogations and urged authorities to escalate the abuse. During one briefing about a prisoner who refused to cooperate, he allegedly instructed officials to “squeeze them harder.”
The indictment also says that, during unrest in 2014, Maduro proposed abducting five to seven military officers suspected of disloyalty and torturing them to obtain information. Prosecutors allege Flores supported the plan.
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The filing cites several cases involving U.S. citizens who were allegedly subjected to electric shocks, simulated drowning, beatings and other abuse while detained in Venezuela. One American arrested in 2022 was allegedly injected with substances that triggered seizures.
Prosecutors said Venezuelan intelligence officers severely beat and tortured another U.S. citizen detained in 2023. One officer allegedly told the prisoner he remained alive because his American citizenship could prove valuable in a future prisoner exchange.
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During a bail hearing for Flores on Thursday, her attorney asked the judge to postpone her arraignment on the new charge because the defense had received the indictment only that morning. The judge granted the request.
Flores’ attorney argued that she should be released under strict bail conditions because of heart-related health concerns. The judge rejected the request, citing Flores’ access to “considerable funds” and describing the allegations as serious.
The prosecution was filed in the Southern District of New York, where Maduro and 14 other defendants were initially indicted in March 2020 during President Donald Trump’s first administration.
