Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expected to face more charges this week

Federal prosecutors in the United States are preparing to file new criminal charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to reports by CBS News.

The upcoming allegations accuse the couple of involvement in the torture of American citizens imprisoned in Venezuela, according to the network. Beyond Maduro and Flores, other individuals could also face charges tied to the abuse of more than a dozen US nationals whom the Venezuelan government had wrongfully incarcerated.

Maduro and Flores were captured by US military personnel during a night raid on their residence in Caracas on January 3. Following their apprehension, the pair were transported to New York, where federal prosecutors have charged them with narcotics and firearms violations. Both have denied the allegations.

Maduro's defense lawyer, Barry Pollack, stated that he had not received any official notification regarding supplementary charges from prosecutors. Meanwhile, Flores is set to attend a bail hearing in federal court in New York on Thursday, while a joint trial for both defendants is scheduled for June 2027.

The existing case against Maduro stems from a 2020 indictment that charged him alongside 14 associates with narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiring to import cocaine, and weapons counts, including the possession of machine guns. Prosecutors argue that Maduro, his family members, and close allies abused their government authority to facilitate the movement of massive amounts of cocaine into the United States in coordination with designated terrorist groups.

In past statements, Maduro has rejected the claims, describing US legal actions as politically driven pretexts to seize Venezuela's substantial petroleum resources. Defense attorneys representing the couple have petitioned the federal court to throw out the indictment, arguing that Maduro possesses immunity from prosecution as a head of state and asserting that his capture by American forces was unlawful. The presiding judge has yet to issue a decision on the dismissal requests.