They appeared before Judge Hellerstein after the U.S. Attorney’s Office accused them of ‘conspiracy to commit torture.’

On Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and legislator Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to the new charges filed against them by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Oct. 8.

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They appeared in the Southern District Court of New York before Judge Alvin Hellerstein after the Attorney’s Office accused them of “conspiracy to commit torture” and extended the charge of “conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism” to Flores. The latter charge, however, had only weighed against Maduro.

When asked by the judge about the charge of “conspiracy to commit torture,” Maduro pleaded not guilty and asserted that the charges are based on “false accusations and testimony against his person.” His wife, Flores, declared herself “completely innocent” and “not guilty” of the new charges.

Both told the judge they had been informed by their attorneys of the new indictment and had received a copy of it in Spanish. This was one of the few times both could be heard speaking since they were brought before the U.S. justice system in January.

After their statement, the hearing focused on the schedule ahead. The judge postponed the start of the trial until June 14, 2027, which initially had been set for June 1.

No other hearing is expected to be held until December. The last hearing before the trial begins will take place on June 7. The defense requested more time to prepare its response to the new indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Following the new indictment, Maduro and Flores are charged with conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine into the U.S., possession and conspiracy to possess weapons of mass destruction, and conspiracy to commit torture.

The text reads, “The defense team for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro—who was seized during a military operation in Caracas—has requested the dismissal of the U.S. case against him, citing sovereign immunity, according to digital court records.”

A Maneuver to Extend Their Imprisonment

Legal analysts consider that the “conspiracy to commit torture” charge would seek to prevent the case against Maduro and Flores from collapsing given that there is no overwhelming evidence to cover multiple legal gaps.

The Attorney’s Office was forced to remove from the indictment the argument that President Maduro led the nonexistent Cartel of the Suns, which during the months before the invasion of Venezuelan soil the White House presented as a platform for drug trafficking.

On Oct. 8, Judge Hellerstein denied the request by Flores’ defense to grant her bail and allow her to serve pretrial detention under house arrest at a private residence in New York.

The defense’s request was based on the deterioration of Flores’ cardiac health — she turns 70 on Oct. 15 — with episodes of chest pain, arrhythmias and a weight loss of more than 11 kilos since her kidnapping.

Her defense attorneys stated that she requires medical treatment and recovery outside of prison, and included GPS monitoring and other security measures.

The magistrate argued that there is an alleged risk of flight. In addition, he noted that the guarantees offered are insufficient.

Upon presenting the new charge, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche — who was an attorney for President Donald Trump and is known for the political instrumentalization of the judicial system — stated:

“A new indictment has just been unsealed that replaces the previous one, charging Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores with conspiracy to commit torture, including the alleged torture of U.S. citizens over more than two decades.”

From the first moment of this case, Maduro questioned the legality of the kidnapping and invoked sovereign immunity. “I am the president of Venezuela, I consider myself a prisoner of war,” he stated during the first hearing of the trial. For her part, Flores claimed immunity as first lady.

Added to the above are objections from the legal team defending them, which has objected to the legality of the kidnapping, questioned the territorial jurisdiction of U.S. courts and denounced the blocking of licenses from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for the financing by the Venezuelan government of their legal fees. Defense attorneys Barry Pollack and Mark Donnelly denounced those obstacles as violations of the Sixth Amendment.

In September, Deputy Attorney Jason A. Richman, co-chief of National Security of the Federal Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, submitted his resignation amid questions over the judicial proceedings against the Venezuelan leaders.

Richman, who led and supervised the indictment against Maduro and Flores from its earliest stages, sent a letter to Hellerstein informing him that he is leaving the Federal Attorney’s Office as of Sept. 25. He offered no further details.

The official’s resignation is considered in legal circles as a significant loss for the U.S. government’s strategy and occurred less than nine months before the trial against Maduro and Flores, scheduled to begin on June 1, 2027, in the Southern District Court of Manhattan.

The text reads, “Demonstration in Brooklyn in support of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.”

Brief Chronology of the Case

Jan. 3, 2026: After bombing Caracas and other Venezuelan cities, U.S. special forces kidnap President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores and illegally transfer them to the United States. The invasion left more than a hundred people killed, including civilians and military personnel, and a similar number of wounded. Delcy Rodriguez, then executive vice president, assumes as acting president.

Jan. 5: Maduro and Flores attend their first appearance in New York. Both plead not guilty and are held at the Federal Detention Center in Brooklyn.

July: Attorney’s Office and defense agree that the oral trial will begin on June 1, 2027, with a prior hearing on Nov. 17.

Sept. 9: Cilia Flores’ defense requests bail and house arrest. The judge orders medical records to remain sealed.

Sept. 25: Deputy Attorney Jason A. Richman resigns.

Oct. 8: Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejects the request for bail for Cilia Flores. On the same day, the Attorney’s Office presents the new indictment.

Oct. 15: The hearing is held in which the Attorney’s Office presents new accusatory charges (conspiracy to commit torture). Maduro and Flores plead innocent.

The judge accepts a request from the Attorney’s Office and the defense to postpone the start of the trial by two weeks, which was rescheduled for June 14, 2027. The next hearing was scheduled for Dec. 17.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: EFE – teleSUR

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