VENEZUELA · JUSTICE
Key Facts
- —What is happening Maduro pleads not guilty to US torture charges in a Manhattan court on Thursday, 15 October, and his wife Cilia Flores also pleads not guilty, saying she is innocent.
- —Why it matters The new torture count makes alleged abuse of US citizens in Venezuelan custody a formal charge, while Washington removes one senior Venezuelan official from its sanctions list and backs election talks in Caracas.
- —The numbers The indictment has five counts, torture carries up to 20 years and narcoterrorism a 20-year minimum, prosecutors allege multiple US citizens were among the victims, and trial is set for June 2027.
- —Who is who Alvin Hellerstein is the federal judge, Jamie McDonald is the US Attorney prosecuting, Barry Pollack defends Maduro, 63, and Cilia Flores, a former attorney general, is his co-defendant.
- —What to watch The defence motion to dismiss on sovereign-immunity grounds is set for a hearing on 17 November, trial is set for June 2027, and any change to those dates after Thursday is not yet confirmed.
- —Prediction markets Polymarket gives a 4.5% chance that Nicolás Maduro is released from custody by 31 December 2026 and 3.25% for Cilia Flores (15 October, 12:24 p.m. ET).
- —Power Index Venezuela ranks 13th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 27.0 points (October 2026 edition).
- —What it means for you A Manhattan federal court, not a Venezuelan one, is due to try the case, and the torture count gives Americans a direct stake, but the prosecution alone does not change US sanctions or oil licences.
Venezuela’s ousted president and his wife answered a reworked US indictment in Manhattan on Thursday. The new count, conspiracy to commit torture, includes alleged abuse of American citizens.
Maduro pleads not guilty to US torture charges in Manhattan on Thursday, 15 October. His wife Cilia Flores also pleaded not guilty, NTN24 and El Nacional reported, and Semana quoted her as saying she is innocent.
The torture count, added in an indictment unsealed on 8 October, makes alleged abuse of US citizens a formal charge. It matters now because the State Department backs election talks in Caracas while Washington keeps its legal pressure on Maduro.
What Happened as Maduro Pleads Not Guilty
The hearing was set for 11 a.m. ET in courtroom 26A of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan US Courthouse in Manhattan, Semana reported. Judge Alvin Hellerstein signed the order on Wednesday, 14 October, El Nacional reported.
Maduro, speaking through an interpreter, said he had read the charges and called them false accusations, Semana reported. Hellerstein cut in and said his words made clear that he was pleading not guilty, Semana said.
Flores answered with the words “I am completely innocent, I am not guilty”, translated here from Semana’s Spanish report. NTN24 also reported that both defendants pleaded not guilty to the new conspiracy-to-commit-torture charges.
What the New Indictment Alleges
The superseding indictment, unsealed on Thursday, 8 October, has five counts against both defendants, the Justice Department says. They are narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to commit torture, conspiracy to import cocaine and two machine-gun and destructive-device counts.
Torture carries up to 20 years in prison, and narcoterrorism carries a 20-year mandatory minimum and a maximum of life. The cocaine-import count carries a 10-year minimum, and the machine-gun count a 30-year minimum.
Prosecutors allege the couple abused their public office for more than 25 years to enrich themselves and to repress dissent. Alleged methods include electric shock, asphyxiation, forced nudity, starvation and threats against detainees’ relatives.
One US citizen was allegedly denied food and water, subjected to simulated drowning, beaten, shocked and forcibly injected. The Justice Department says the alleged torture included multiple US citizens, without giving an exact number.
Why the US Rejects Maduro’s Immunity Claim
The defence says Maduro and Flores were a head of state and first lady, so US courts cannot try them. The State Department and prosecutors have urged Hellerstein to reject that argument, Semana reported.
They argue Washington has regarded Maduro as illegitimate since the 2018 vote, and that the charged acts were not official duties. The defence motion was set for a hearing on Tuesday, 17 November, El Nacional and Efecto Cocuyo reported.
Who Is Who in the Case
Alvin Hellerstein is the federal judge in Manhattan who presides over the case and has refused house arrest to Flores. Jamie McDonald, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, leads the prosecution.
Barry Pollack defends Maduro, 63, who ran Venezuela from 2013 until US forces captured him in Caracas on 3 January. Cilia Flores, a former attorney general, is his co-defendant and faces the same five counts.
What It Means for US Readers
This is a US federal prosecution, so a Manhattan court is due to try the charges, with trial set for June 2027. The torture count rests partly on alleged abuse of US citizens, which gives Americans a direct stake in the case.
The criminal case does not by itself change US sanctions, which the Treasury sets in separate actions. On Wednesday, 14 October, the Treasury’s sanctions office, OFAC, removed Jorge Rodríguez, brother of acting president Delcy Rodríguez, from its Venezuela list.
What Prediction Markets Say
Polymarket bettors gave Maduro a 4.5% chance of release by 31 December 2026 at 12:24 p.m. ET on 15 October. They gave Flores 3.25%, and about US$296,000 and US$338,000 have been bet on the two markets.
Nothing in the price data links either figure to the hearing. These are bets, not polls.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What Is Not Known
The Justice Department says the alleged torture included “multiple” US citizens and gives no exact number. This article uses that wording because outlets report different counts.
The three senior officials the indictment calls CC-1, CC-2 and CC-3 are not named. It is not known whether any of them holds office today.
It is not known whether Thursday’s hearing changed the schedule of a 17 November immunity hearing and a June 2027 trial. One report of different dates could not be confirmed by a court record or a second outlet.
It is not known when Hellerstein will rule on the immunity motion. The charges are allegations, and Maduro and Flores are presumed innocent.
What Comes Next
Hellerstein was due to hear the defence motion to dismiss on sovereign-immunity grounds on Tuesday, 17 November, which prosecutors oppose. Whether Thursday’s hearing moved that date is unconfirmed, and trial is set for June 2027.
Both defendants remain held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where they have been since 3 January. Neither has been convicted of any charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Maduro say in court on Thursday?
Maduro said through an interpreter that the charges were false accusations, Semana reported. The judge then told him his words made clear he was pleading not guilty, Semana said.
What are the new charges against Maduro and Flores?
Prosecutors added conspiracy to commit torture for both and extended the narcoterrorism count to Flores. Both still face cocaine-import and machine-gun counts, and both deny wrongdoing.
Were US citizens among the alleged victims?
The Justice Department says the alleged torture included multiple US citizens, without giving an exact number. These are allegations that have not been tested at trial.
When is the Maduro trial?
Efecto Cocuyo and El Nacional report a trial start in June 2027. A hearing on the defence immunity motion was set for 17 November, and later changes are unconfirmed.
Does the case change US sanctions on Venezuela?
No source links the case to a change in sanctions or oil licences. The Treasury removed Jorge Rodríguez from its sanctions list on 14 October in a separate action.
Sources: US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, 8 October 2026; US Treasury OFAC, Venezuela-related designation removal, 14 October 2026; Semana, 15 October 2026; Semana, hearing preview; Efecto Cocuyo, 15 October 2026; Efecto Cocuyo / EFE, 14 October 2026; El Nacional, 14 October 2026; Telemundo, 15 October 2026; NTN24, 15 October 2026; Efecto Cocuyo, 14 October 2026; Voz, 9 October 2026 (all accessed 15 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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