US files new charges against Maduro and his wife

The US has filed new charges against Maduro and his wife

The US Department of Justice has brought new charges against the former President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. The country's authorities accuse them of conspiring to use torture, it was reported.

The new charges were filed in Manhattan Federal Court. According to the 30-page document, Maduro, his wife, and high-ranking Venezuelan officials "inflicted physical and mental suffering" on people between 1999 and 2025 to maintain their power and silence the opposition.

According to American prosecutors, one of the high-ranking Venezuelan officers directly subordinate to Maduro developed torture methods, and the head of state personally approved them. Another official personally ordered the use of torture against civilians and military personnel (including US citizens) who were seen as a threat to Maduro remaining in power.

The document also notes that in 2013, Maduro ordered the arrest of a Venezuelan serviceman suspected of preparing a coup d'état. During interrogation, military counterintelligence officers shocked the detained individual with electricity nearly 20 times and also hung him by his hands and feet.

Ahead of Maduro and Flores's trial, which is scheduled to begin in June 2027, their lawyers are demanding the dismissal of the case based on "sovereign immunity." However, Judge Alvin Hellerstein has not yet considered these motions, and has also denied Flores's request for bail due to her health.

At the same time, Venezuela's current interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, purged the government of Maduro's supporters and extradited his main ally, Alex Saab, to the US. Saab, who pleaded guilty to money laundering, is expected to become the key witness against Maduro.

As a reminder, on January 3, 2026, the US removed Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from Venezuela and brought them to New York.

US authorities accuse the Venezuelan president of smuggling drugs into the country and weapons possession, and his wife of drug smuggling and bribery.

They have been denying these allegations.

Maduro and Flores are currently being held in a detention center in New York.

The operation to capture the Venezuelan president was one of the most complex operations for the US in recent years.

For several months, CIA agents secretly gathered intelligence on Maduro, while the military built an exact replica of his residence to plan the raid.