Maduro expected to face new charges alleging torture of Americans in Venezuelan prisons, sources say

Federal prosecutors are expected to bring new charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, for allegedly torturing Americans who were held in Venezuelan prisons, according to multiple sources familiar with the case.

One source said the new charges could be announced as soon as Thursday.

Flores is due in federal court on Thursday in the Southern District of New York for a bond hearing, and a trial date has been tentatively set for June 2027.

A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Maduro and Flores were indicted by a federal grand jury in January on charges stemming from what prosecutors said was his role in a scheme to import "thousands of tons" of cocaine into the United States and enrich themselves, their family and senior members of the Venezuelan government. The U.S. military took the couple into custody in an overnight operation and brought them to the U.S. to face the charges. They have pleaded not guilty.

Maduro faces four charges: narco-terrorism conspiracy; cocaine importation conspiracy; possession of machine guns and destructive devices; and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Maduro and his wife have asked U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein to dismiss the drug trafficking indictment against them on the grounds that they have immunity as the leaders of a foreign country. The judge has not heard arguments on those motions yet.

In May, CBS News reported that federal prosecutors in Miami were ordered to open a new criminal investigation into Maduro amid some concerns that the pending prosecution against him is weak.

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