Maduro's Wife Cilia Flores Charged in New York With Torture of Americans Including Matthew Heath

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York unsealed an indictment on Thursday charging Venezuelan First Lady Cilia Flores with conspiracy to torture and hostage-taking involving American citizens detained in Venezuela.

Victims Named

The charges specifically name Matthew Heath, a US Marine veteran detained in Venezuela since 2020, and members of the CITGO 6 — executives of the Venezuelan subsidiary of Citgo Petroleum arrested in 2017. Prosecutors allege Flores directed DGCIM intelligence officers to torture detainees to extract confessions.

DGCIM Involvement

Venezuela's Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence is accused of using stress positions, isolation, electric shocks and threats against family members. The indictment describes Flores as exercising command authority over DGCIM operations.