Nicolás Maduro and his wife face new charges over alleged torture of Americans

New charges of conspiracy to commit torture have been filed in the United States against Nicolás Maduro, the former president of Venezuela, and his wife, Cilia Flores. The superseding indictment, unsealed on Thursday, October 8, 2026, in a Manhattan federal court, alleges that the couple oversaw a state-sponsored system of repression that utilized torture against political opponents and dissidents, including American citizens, to maintain their power. These new allegations build upon existing drug trafficking and firearms charges that Maduro and Flores already face in the U.S.

According to prosecutors, the alleged torture methods included electric shocks, asphyxiation, severe beatings, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, and psychological torture, such as threats against victims' families. The indictment claims that Maduro authorized these methods, received updates on specific victims' treatment, and personally threatened prisoners. Flores is also accused of helping develop this repressive system and ordering the torture of specific individuals.

Maduro and Flores were apprehended in Caracas by the U.S. military in January and subsequently brought to New York to face the initial drug trafficking charges, to which they have pleaded not guilty. Their trial for these existing charges is slated for June 1, 2027.