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The man US forces captured in a January raid on Caracas now faces a second set of federal charges. Manhattan federal court unveiled the Maduro torture indictment on October 8, 2026. It adds a conspiracy-to-commit-torture charge. That charge sits alongside the drug trafficking case Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, already face. Both have pleaded not guilty to the drug charges.
What the Maduro Torture Indictment Alleges
Federal prosecutor Jamie McDonald announced the revised indictment at a news conference. He said the conspiracy’s members “were holding the shovel.” Prosecutors allege the scheme ran from at least 1999 through 2025. It drew in Venezuelan military, intelligence and law enforcement officials, according to Al Jazeera. Prosecutors say officials shocked and asphyxiated one detainee. That followed his arrest after a 2018 drone attack the Venezuelan government blamed on an effort to target Maduro.
The American Victims Named in the Case
Prosecutors cite three US citizens detained in Venezuela. Intelligence officers arrested one in January 2025 without even targeting him specifically. Officials allegedly beat him over two days, causing a permanent eye injury. They reportedly released him about a year later and warned him not to disclose what happened. Prosecutors allege Maduro personally directed, or was regularly briefed on, detainee abuse. In one instance, he allegedly ordered officials to “squeeze them harder” after a detained officer remained defiant. Flores allegedly attended some meetings where officials discussed detainee treatment.
How Maduro Ended Up in US Custody
Maduro served as Venezuela’s president from 2013 until his capture on January 3, 2026. US military forces seized him and Flores from their Caracas home that day. President Trump had authorized the raid, according to PBS NewsHour. Delcy Rodríguez now serves as Venezuela’s acting president. Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center holds both Maduro and Flores. Their drug trafficking trial is set for June 1, 2027. Maduro’s attorney, Barry Pollack, says his client denies the new torture allegations and looks forward to his day in court.
A Separate Fight Over Flores’s Detention
Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied a request to release Flores over medical concerns the same Thursday prosecutors unveiled the torture charges. Her lawyers told the court she is 69 and has lost 25 pounds. She may have suffered a minor heart attack in July. The court wasn’t persuaded that her condition justified release before trial. Her attorney said at the time he hadn’t yet reviewed the new torture allegations in detail.
What the New Charges Change Going Forward
The torture count doesn’t replace the drug trafficking charges. It sits alongside them, giving prosecutors a second and arguably more politically resonant case for the June 2027 trial. Venezuela is still adjusting to Maduro’s removal after more than a decade in power. The indictment keeps the accountability question in American courts rather than Venezuelan ones. That dynamic is likely to shape both the legal proceedings and the political transition under Rodríguez’s acting government. Venezuelan officials who served under Maduro now face a choice. They can cooperate with the broader investigation, or risk their own exposure if evidence implicates them directly.
What Happens Next in the Legal Process
A superseding indictment like this one does not restart the case from scratch. It adds the torture conspiracy charge to proceedings already underway over the drug trafficking allegations. Both sets of charges are set for the same June 2027 trial. Between now and then, prosecutors and defense attorneys exchange evidence through discovery. Courts also hear pretrial motions over what evidence can be used at trial. Maduro and Flores are expected to formally respond to the amended charges at an arraignment in the coming weeks. The allegations span more than two decades and involve multiple co-conspirators and overseas witnesses. Prosecutors have signaled that pretrial proceedings alone could take months. Judge Hellerstein denied Flores’s separate request for release pending trial, citing her medical condition. That ruling suggests both defendants will likely stay in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center through pretrial proceedings. Federal criminal trials in the Southern District of New York are open to the public and press, so each stage of the case, from arraignment through jury selection, is likely to draw significant attention. US media outlets covered the January 2026 capture and the original drug trafficking charges heavily, and interest in the case has stayed high since.
Related Coverage on Tamara News
For more on Venezuela’s post-Maduro transition, see our coverage of the nationwide protests demanding new elections. We’ve also reported on the proposed window for Russia-Ukraine peace talks, another case testing what follows a change at the top.
Maduro Torture Indictment: Questions Readers Are Asking
What is the Maduro torture indictment?
A federal indictment unveiled October 8, 2026, in Manhattan. It adds a conspiracy-to-commit-torture charge to Nicolás Maduro’s existing drug trafficking case.
Is Maduro still president of Venezuela?
No. US forces captured him in January 2026, and he remains in federal custody in New York. Delcy Rodríguez is Venezuela’s acting president.
Who else was charged alongside Maduro?
His wife, Cilia Flores, faces the same torture conspiracy charge along with the existing drug trafficking charges.
What do the torture charges allege?
That Venezuelan officials tortured detainees between 1999 and 2025. Prosecutors say Maduro directed or was briefed on the abuse, and at least three victims were US citizens.
Where is Maduro being held?
At the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.
When is the trial scheduled?
June 1, 2027, according to court filings reported by PBS NewsHour.
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