The wife of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro suffered “significant injuries” during the U.S. military operation that captured the couple at their compound in Caracas over the weekend, her attorney told a federal judge.
Cilia Flores and Maduro were seized in what officials described as a late-night raid on Saturday, Jan. 3. The pair made their first appearances in federal court in New York City on Monday, Jan. 5, wearing prison uniforms and leg shackles.
Maduro faces four charges, including narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine, and has pleaded not guilty. Flores also entered a not-guilty plea to related charges. In court, Maduro declared himself Venezuela’s president, while Flores identified herself as the “first lady of the Republic of Venezuela.”
“Not guilty, completely innocent,” Flores said in Spanish through a court interpreter, as Maduro clasped his hands and lowered his head.
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The indictment also names Maduro’s son, two high-ranking Venezuelan officials and an alleged leader of the Tren de Aragua gang.
Flores’ attorney, Mark Donnelly, a former federal prosecutor, told the court she sustained “significant injuries during her abduction” when military forces raided the Caracas compound. Donnelly said Flores arrived at court with bandages on her face and complained of bruising along her ribs.
President Donald Trump’s administration has pointed to the charges as justification for removing Maduro from power in Venezuela.
Trump previously described the raid during a press conference, saying Maduro reached a safe room but was unable to shut the door before U.S. special forces seized him.
“But he was trying to get to a safe place, which wasn’t safe, because we would have had the door blown up in about 47 seconds,” Trump said, calling it a “very thick” and “very heavy” door. He added that even if it had been closed, Maduro still would not have been safe because U.S. forces would have breached it quickly.
U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case, instructed prosecutors at Flores’ arraignment to coordinate with Donnelly to ensure she receives any medical evaluation and treatment she needs.
