# Maduro and Wife Face Torture Charges

> Former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and wife Cilia Flores accused of conspiring to torture Americans in Venezuelan prisons.
- Title: Maduro and Wife Face Torture Charges · ABC News | Shortify
- Summary: Former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and wife Cilia Flores accused of conspiring to torture Americans in Venezuelan prisons. Federal prosecutors in New…
- Keywords: nicolas maduro, cilia flores, venezuela, federal prosecutors, torture charges, narcoterrorism, american citizens, venezuelan prisons, manhattan federal court, superseding indictment, news, Maduro
- Source: ABC News — https://abcnews.com/US/former-venezuelan-president-nicolas-maduro-wife-face-new/story?id=137097107
- Author: ABC News
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: nicolas maduro, cilia flores, venezuela, federal prosecutors, torture charges, narcoterrorism, american citizens, venezuelan prisons, manhattan federal court, superseding indictment, news
## New Charges Unsealed
Federal prosecutors in New York unsealed new charges against ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores for alleged torture of Americans.

> Prosecutors allege Maduro "presided over this system of repression and torture."
## Torture Allegations
The indictment claims Maduro authorized torture against specific individuals and oversaw a system using torture, military detention, and violence against political opposition.

> When Maduro became President of Venezuela in or about 2013, he authorized the use of torture against specific individuals and oversaw a system designed to use torture, military detention, and violence as a means of repression against the political opposition
## Victim-8 Case
An American citizen identified as Victim-8 was allegedly tortured with electrocution, sexual assault, and pressure devices after being injured in a prison attack.

> Venezuelan officers allegedly "electrocuted Victim-8's testicles and put a pressure device on his ankles, causing him to faint several times" during transport from the hospital to prison
## Victim-9 Case
Another American citizen, Victim-9, was beaten for two days by Venezuelan authorities before being released on January 15, 2026, two weeks after Maduro's ouster.

> For two days they beat him with their fists to the face, head, and stomach approximately every half an hour. The beatings caused permanent injury to Victim-9's eye.
## Victim-7 Case
Victim-7 was detained in 2002 on charges of conspiring to assassinate Maduro and tortured over two or three days with beatings and a noxious liquid.

> Among other things, the officers punched him in the face and abdomen, covered his face and poured a noxious liquid over his face that caused him to vomit, which the officer then forced him to eat.
## Court Appearance
Cilia Flores appeared in Manhattan federal court on October 8, 2026, and was denied bail by Judge Alvin Hellerstein who cited serious allegations of torture.

> Jail is not a nice place to be, but these are serious allegations
## Defense Request
Flores' defense attorney Mark Donnelly argued she needs medical care and proposed house arrest with a private security detail to avoid jail conditions.

> The conditions that the defense proposes address all the risk of flight concerns that the government may have
## Next Steps
Maduro and Flores will be arraigned on the new charges after their court appearance in Manhattan federal court on October 8, 2026.

> Maduro and his wife will be arraigned on the new charges at a later date
## Key takeaway

Federal prosecutors in New York charged Maduro and his wife with conspiracy to torture and narcoterrorism after alleging systematic torture of American citizens in Venezuelan prisons.