Maduro and Flores deny US torture-conspiracy charges in New York court
Nicolás Maduro Moros and Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro pleaded not guilty on October 15, 2026, in a New York court to United States charges of conspiracy to commit torture. Reuters
The pair appeared in a New York City courtroom to answer the charges. They were removed from Caracas in a U.S. military operation in January 2026. Since that operation, Delcy Rodriguez has led Venezuela as interim president.
Maduro became president of Venezuela in 2013. The full names used in the New York case are Nicolás Maduro Moros and Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, according to the Southern District of New York, the federal court district covering Manhattan.
The torture allegation was brought in a superseding indictment, a revised charging document that replaces an earlier one, unsealed in that court. It charges Maduro with conspiring to commit torture, along with narcoterrorism and cocaine charges.
The couple had previously pleaded not guilty to U.S. charges including narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. The new plea extends those denials to the torture-conspiracy count. Al Jazeera
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said Maduro and Flores engaged for more than two decades in a conspiracy to commit torture, including torture of U.S. citizens. Prosecutors allege the two oversaw torture, arbitrary detention and violence targeting political opposition and individuals viewed as disloyal or a threat to narcotics activity.
The indictment describes a 2014 episode in which Maduro allegedly urged enforcers seeking information from detained military personnel, saying "Squeeze them harder." Prosecutors allege he suggested sleep deprivation and pouring water on detainees.
Prosecutors did not accuse Maduro or Flores of directly taking part in torture. Their case, as described in the indictment, centers on oversight and direction rather than physical participation.
