Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro seemed to have forgotten he was facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life behind bars when arriving entering the courtroom on Thursday.
The ousted leader appeared unusually cheerful as he returned to Manhattan federal court alongside his wife, Cilia Flores. The couple faced a new conspiracy charge accusing them of overseeing a brutal campaign of torture against political opponents and American citizens.
Maduro, 63, and his wife appeared noticeably thinner than during their previous court appearances, but neither seemed particularly troubled by the latest accusations. Maduro even waved to spectators in the gallery as he entered the courtroom and gave U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein a wave and a smile on his way out.
Outside the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan, a heavy NYPD presence remained in place. However, the protesters who have gathered during previous proceedings were noticeably absent.
The couple appeared before Hellerstein for their second arraignment following an October 8 superseding indictment that added a charge of conspiracy to commit torture to their existing federal drug trafficking and weapons case.
Both denied the allegations, although Maduro appeared determined to make his position known beyond a simple plea.
“I have seen the sum of the allegations and the false testimony against me. I reject these accusations,” Maduro told the court.
Hellerstein interrupted him before directing that a plea of not guilty be entered on his behalf. Flores, 69, was equally firm in her response.
“I am completely innocent. I am not guilty,” she told the judge, who also entered a not-guilty plea for her.
The latest indictment accuses Maduro and Flores of participating in a government-backed system of repression that allegedly used torture, unlawful detention and threats of violence to silence anyone considered a threat to Maduro’s rule. Federal prosecutors allege that detainees, including American citizens, were subjected to electric shocks, simulated drowning, sexual violence, starvation, forced injections and threats against their families.
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In one particularly disturbing allegation, an American citizen imprisoned in Venezuela was allegedly beaten, deprived of food and water, subjected to simulated drowning and given electric shocks to his genitals. Prosecutors claim Maduro personally authorized torture against certain individuals and oversaw a system in which senior Venezuelan officials developed and carried out methods of abuse.
The new torture conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The couple also face narcoterrorism, cocaine importation and weapons charges, some of which carry potential life sentences. Again, Maduro and Flores have denied wrongdoing.
The Thursday hearing also brought a change to the couple’s trial schedule. Hellerstein moved the trial from June 1, 2027, to June 14, 2027, giving both sides additional time to prepare for the expanded case.
The judge, who will turn 93 before the trial begins, also addressed a series of upcoming legal motions, including the defense’s effort to have the indictment dismissed.
Maduro’s attorney, Barry Pollack, argued that the schedule was aggressive, particularly because prosecutors had added serious new allegations more than six years after the original indictment was filed in 2020. Defense attorneys also intend to pursue arguments involving sovereign immunity, a legal protection generally afforded to heads of state under certain circumstances.
The government, meanwhile, said additional discovery would be produced as both sides prepared their motions and responses.
A hearing was scheduled for December 17, with reply briefs due December 14. Another round of motions is due February 12, 2027. The parties also agreed to exclude additional time under the federal Speedy Trial Act, allowing the case to proceed on the revised schedule.
Maduro and Flores have been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since January, when U.S. forces captured them in Caracas and brought them to New York to face federal charges.
Their latest courtroom appearance offered an interesting contrast between the seriousness of the allegations and the former Venezuelan leader’s cheerful demeanor. Even after hearing the government’s accusations and facing the prospect of spending the rest of his life behind bars, Maduro left the courtroom with one final gesture.
He waved goodbye to the judge.
The post All Smiles: Nicolás Maduro Waves to Judge as He Faces Shocking New Torture Charges appeared first on LAmag.
