Maduro and Wife Face New U.S. Charge of Torture Conspiracy
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan added a torture conspiracy charge against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The superseding indictment accuses them of directing electric shocks, beatings, asphyxiation and sexual violence against thousands of detainees, including at least three Americans. Maduro's lawyer said he denies the new charges, and the judge declined to release Flores on medical grounds.
The new charge marks a shift in the Manhattan case, which had previously centered on drug trafficking allegations dating to 2020. Prosecutors now say Maduro and Flores oversaw abuses carried out through Venezuela's military counterintelligence agency, whose detention facilities U.N. investigators have examined for ten years. A former agency chief, Gen. Hugo Carvajal, is a co-defendant and has offered testimony after pleading guilty to drug charges.
Among those described as victims are three Americans, none identified. One former Marine held for over two years said the charges felt like justice; he and another ex-detainee won a $300 million default judgment in May.
The added charge could broaden the case beyond narcotics, potentially affecting how foreign officials weigh immunity claims and how U.S. courts handle allegations of state-directed abuse. Victims and their families may see the prosecution as a rare avenue for accountability, while Venezuelan communities could experience renewed polarization. The outcome may also shape expectations for future prosecutions of leaders accused of torture.