Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were hit with additional charges over the torture of Americans, the Justice Department announced on Thursday.
More than a dozen Americans held in Venezuelan prisons have been tortured.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the superseding on Thursday.
“A superseding indictment was just unsealed charging Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores with conspiracy to commit torture, including the alleged torture of United States citizens for over two decades, in addition to the narcotics trafficking and weapons offenses already charged,” Blanche said.
A superseding indictment was just unsealed charging Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores with conspiracy to commit torture, including the alleged torture of United States citizens for over two decades, in addition to the narcotics trafficking and weapons offenses already charged.
Since their capture and arrest, @TheJusticeDept has been working to uncover the extent of their alleged crimes against the people of Venezuela and of the United States, and these additional charges reflect the dedication of this Administration to delivering justice for the victims of torture, narcoterrorism, and organized crime.
— Attorney General Todd Blanche (@AGToddBlanche) October 8, 2026
Full statement from Kash Patel:
Following an FBI investigation with our interagency partners, this morning ousted President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro is now charged by superseding indictment with one count of Conspiracy to Commit Torture — also charging former First Lady of Venezuela Cilia Flores de Maduro with one count of Conspiracy to Commit Torture and one count of Narcoterrorism.
As alleged in the indictment, the Maduro regime subjected over a dozen American citizens to torture while held in custody of the Venezuelan government – including drugs, electrocution, sexual assault, and more. They will now answer for their crimes.
These charges follow the historic law enforcement operation proudly supported by this
@FBI
in January, which arrested Maduro and executed one of the most daring FTOCs in US history, returning him and his wife to the United States – an operation which required months of coordination, detailed planning, and seamless execution across multiple components of the federal government led by the Department of War.Today’s charges reflect the commitment from this FBI and this Department of Justice to accountability, the rule of law, and the protection of U.S. national security.
Following an FBI investigation with our interagency partners, this morning ousted President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro is now charged by superseding indictment with one count of Conspiracy to Commit Torture — also charging former First Lady of Venezuela Cilia Flores de Maduro with one count of Conspiracy to Commit Torture and one count of Narcoterrorism.
As alleged in the indictment, the Maduro regime subjected over a dozen American citizens to torture while held in custody of the Venezuelan government – including drugs, electrocution, sexual assault, and more. They will now answer for their crimes.
These charges follow the historic law enforcement operation proudly supported by this @FBI in January, which arrested Maduro and executed one of the most daring FTOCs in US history, returning him and his wife to the United States – an operation which required months of coordination, detailed planning, and seamless execution across multiple components of the federal government led by the Department of War.
Today’s charges reflect the commitment from this FBI and this Department of Justice to accountability, the rule of law, and the protection of U.S. national security.
Thank you to @NewYorkFBI who brilliantly led this investigation with our partners.
-DKP🇺🇸— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 8, 2026
Delta Force captured Maduro and dragged him out of his bedroom amid military strikes earlier this year.
Maduro was previously indicted on four counts by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York.
Read the indictment here.
The grand jury indicted Maduro, his wife, Cilia Flores and four others on four counts: Narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
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