Former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty before the U.S. justice system again this Thursday, Oct. 15, this time to the charge of conspiracy to torture political and military opponents accused of conspiring against the Venezuelan regime. In this way, according to the indictment, Maduro sought to remain in power.
This new charge adds to the judicial proceedings that Maduro and Flores face in New York for offenses related to drug trafficking and weapons. The couple, captured on Jan. 3 in Caracas and taken to the United States, appeared before federal judge Alvin Hellerstein in a Manhattan court.
Among the acts described by prosecutors as attributable to Maduro and Flores are alleged kidnappings, simulated drownings, rapes, and beatings of detainees, including U.S. citizens. Maduro and Flores are not accused of personally carrying out the acts of torture, but rather of issuing the orders.
Without handcuffs on their hands, but chained at the ankles
The indictment also states that Maduro allegedly ordered officials in 2014 to kidnap military personnel to obtain information about possible dissidents. According to the court document, when some detainees resisted, the then-president allegedly asked that the pressure on them be intensified. Flores allegedly supported the plan, according to prosecutors.
The hearing began later than expected, Telemundo reported, detailing that when they entered the courtroom, “the metallic sound of the chains on their feet could be heard, dragging along the floor.”
The hearing was scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m., but was delayed until 11:32 a.m. Maduro, 63, and Flores, 70, walked through the Manhattan Federal Court courtroom, both wearing khaki prison uniforms and both looking noticeably thinner, the same outlet added.
“They proceeded without handcuffs on their hands, but restrained by their ankles, to appear before federal judge Alvin K. Hellerstein,” Telemundo reported. “Cilia Flores entered smiling and greeted her lawyer, Mark Donnelly, with a kiss on the cheek. Maduro, for his part, looked at the packed courtroom, greeted the audience, and said, ‘Good afternoon, everyone.’ He then shook hands with his lead defense attorney, Barry Pollack.”
After hearing the charges against him, Maduro rejected the allegations and described the accusations as false. The judge told him that he would record his plea of not guilty. Flores, for her part, stated: “I am completely innocent. I am not guilty.”
As he left the courtroom, Maduro raised his hand and said goodbye to the judge with a gesture, CNN reported. The new charges are related to what the U.S. government has described as the wrongful detention of more than a dozen U.S. citizens in Venezuelan prisons while Maduro was leading a repressive regime in Venezuela.
Judge postpones start of trial by two weeks
Maduro and Flores had already pleaded not guilty to the charges related to drug trafficking and possession of firearms. The new indictment also expanded the charge of conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism to include Flores, a charge that had previously been directed only against Maduro.
Judge Hellerstein postponed the start of the trial on the new charges by two weeks. The proceedings, initially scheduled for June 1, 2027, will begin on June 14, 2027.
Maduro and Flores have remained in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since January 3, 2026, when they were captured in Caracas during a U.S. military operation ordered by President Donald Trump and transferred to the United States.
The judicial proceedings have advanced after the U.S. Department of State and the prosecution urged Judge Hellerstein to dismiss any request for immunity for the defendants, arguing that they do not recognize Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela since the 2018 elections and that the alleged offenses fall outside his purported official acts.
With the new charges, and beyond the fact that they pleaded not guilty, the situation facing Maduro and Flores has become seriously complicated, while Venezuela, under the leadership of siblings Delcy and Jorge Rodriguez, continues to strengthen ties with the United States and implement Donald Trump’s directives.