Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro called himself a prisoner of war and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared with visible facial injuries during their first New York court appearance Monday, when both pleaded not guilty to federal narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges.
Flores appeared in the Manhattan courtroom with a bandaged forehead and bruising around her right eye. Her attorney, Mark Donnelly, told U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein that she has severe bruising on her ribs and may have a fracture, requesting appropriate medical attention and an X-ray while she is held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The injuries were allegedly sustained during the U.S. military operation that captured the couple early Saturday morning at their home in Caracas. Flores introduced herself to the court as first lady of Venezuela.
Maduro, wearing a prison jumpsuit, told the court through a translator that he was kidnapped and captured from his home in Caracas. When asked to identify himself, he said he was the president of Venezuela and described himself as a prisoner of war. He declared himself innocent and a decent man when entering his not guilty plea.
The former Venezuelan leader’s attorney, Barry Pollack, said his client also has health and medical issues requiring appropriate attention in detention. Pollack previously represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in federal criminal proceedings.
During the arraignment, a heckler stood up in the courtroom and said Maduro would pay in the name of the Venezuelan people. Maduro turned to face the individual and responded that he was a man of God.
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Both defendants agreed to remain in jail without bail for now, though their attorneys said they may submit bail applications in the future. Judge Hellerstein set the next court date for March 17.
Maduro faces four federal charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. Flores faces three charges including cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons offenses.
The indictment, originally filed in March 2020, also names several other Venezuelan officials including Maduro’s son, Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello Rondon.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton told CNBC that prosecutors are completely comfortable with the case. The defendants were transported by helicopter Monday morning from the federal jail in Brooklyn to lower Manhattan for the proceeding, arriving under heavy security.
Judge Hellerstein, a 92-year-old senior judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, informed the couple of their right to confer with consular officials while held on federal charges, a right Maduro said they would like to exercise.
Protesters gathered on both sides of the street outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse before the hearing. One group cheered Maduro’s downfall while the other opposed his capture and detention, holding signs reading “Free Pres. Maduro and Cilia Flores Now!” and “No War for Venezuelan Oil.”
In Venezuela, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president following Maduro’s capture. President Trump said Sunday that the United States is in charge of Venezuela and warned Rodríguez to cooperate or pay a very big price.
The Trump administration has faced questions about the operation, particularly given Trump’s recent pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted in 2024 of conspiring with drug traffickers.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern that international law was violated in the U.S. military action, describing it in a statement as a potentially flagrant violation of the U.N. Charter.
