Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is escorted to a Manhattan courthouse on Jan. 5.ADAM GRAY/Reuters
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are expected to face new criminal charges in the United States over allegations that Americans detained in Venezuela were tortured, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.
The new charges could come as soon as Thursday, according to the official, who was briefed on the investigation.
Maduro, who led Venezuela for 13 years, and Flores were captured by the U.S. military from their home in Caracas on Jan. three and brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges. They have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to go on trial starting June 1, 2027.
A spokesperson for the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office, which brought the charges, declined to comment.
Lawyers for Maduro and Flores did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The possibility of new charges was first reported by CNN on Wednesday.
Maduro, wife seek to end U.S. drug charges case on immunity grounds
Details of the new charges, including the identities of the alleged torture victims, were not immediately available.
Maduro’s tenure was marked by tensions with the United States. Washington accused his government of detaining Americans as leverage to extract concessions such as relief from financial sanctions.
Americans whom the U.S. classified as wrongfully detained during Maduro’s tenure included five oil executives arrested on graft charges. They were freed in 2022 in exchange for two of Flores’ nephews who had been convicted in the U.S. of drug trafficking.
Others detained included two former U.S. Army Special Forces members who were arrested in Venezuela in 2020 in connection with a botched raid aimed at ousting Maduro. They were freed in 2023 as part of another prisoner swap.
Since Maduro’s capture, Venezuela has been led by his former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, who has increased co-operation with the Trump administration.
Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, have been held in a federal jail in Brooklyn.
Flores is due to appear in Manhattan federal court on Thursday to urge U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein to release her from jail before trial for health reasons. Prosecutors oppose her release.