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Federal prosecutors in New York are expected to file new criminal charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, centered on the alleged torture and systematic abuse of American citizens held in Venezuelan state custody.
The upcoming indictment expands on the existing federal case in Manhattan, focusing on the wrongful detention and mistreatment of more than a dozen U.S. nationals during Maduro's tenure. Investigators have also discussed bringing charges against additional figures implicated in the custody abuses, which occurred primarily within the facilities of the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM).
A United Nations investigation previously documented that DGCIM personnel routinely subjected political detainees to electric shocks, waterboarding, asphyxiation with plastic bags, severe beatings, prolonged solitary confinement, and extreme temperatures to extract confessions and suppress opposition.
Former American detainees have recounted brutal physical and psychological abuse while imprisoned in Caracas.
Matthew Heath, a U.S. Marine veteran, and Osman Khan, both released in a 2022 prisoner exchange, detailed instances of electrocution, waterboarding, forced ingestion of mind-altering substances, and sexual threats in subsequent legal actions. Similarly, members of the "CITGO 6," a group of American energy executives lured to Venezuela in 2017 and held for nearly five years, documented severe physical degradation and abuse suffered in state detention.
Maduro and Flores were captured in Caracas during a U.S. military operation in January and transferred to New York, where they have remained held without bail. Both have pleaded not guilty to prior charges alleging narco-terrorism and drug trafficking conspiracies.
Defense counsel for Maduro has challenged the arrest's legality, arguing that his actions as a former head of state are protected by sovereign immunity. Federal prosecutors noted, however, that current Venezuelan authorities have not asserted immunity on his behalf.
The anticipated filing arrives as Flores prepares to appear in court, where her defense team is requesting a transfer to house arrest ahead of trial.
