In a detention center in Brooklyn, Cilia Flores — the former first lady of Venezuela — has been unwell. She has lost two teeth, her weight has fallen by 25 pounds, and her heart condition has deteriorated, according to her attorneys.
Now, while awaiting trial on drug-trafficking charges alongside her husband, the deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, Flores’ legal team has petitioned a federal judge to release her from custody. They are requesting house arrest so she can undergo a medical procedure recommended by doctors at her Brooklyn jail.
Prosecutors have not disputed Flores’ health issues. However, they claim she has declined to undergo doctor-recommended diagnostic tests unless granted her release, effectively creating a medical hardship to justify her request for freedom, according to court documents.
The 92-year-old jurist presiding over the case involving Maduro and Flores, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, scheduled a hearing for Thursday to rule on the issue.
If granted release, it could mean the federal government would no longer have complete oversight of every aspect of her life. Flores’ medical team has recommended a cardiac catheterization, a diagnostic procedure involving threading a tube through blood vessels into the heart.
Flores has expressed satisfaction with the medical care she has received while incarcerated in New York, according to someone who has spoken with her. But the 69-year-old is apprehensive about undergoing the medical procedure and then waking up under handcuffs or surrounded by numerous other inmates, the source told Themoneytimes.
“She is extremely fearful of waking up and being placed in a situation where she has minimal control, with potential negative consequences,” the individual stated. Her attorneys are proposing that she be moved to a private residence — the specific address is not disclosed in public court filings — with 24-hour monitoring from armed security teams.
These arrangements would be managed by a firm led by Louis Milione, a former narcoterrorism special operations agent and deputy director of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The effort to relocate Maduro’s wife from jail due to health concerns is described by prosecutors as “an attempt to leverage her wealth to receive preferential treatment.” Prosecutors pointed out that judges have previously denied similar requests in other high-profile criminal cases, including those involving Sean “Diddy” Combs, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Jeffrey Epstein.
Flores has been living with roommates in New York. Until her arrest on January 3, her life was vastly different.
As Maduro’s spouse and former head of Venezuela’s legislature, she was part of the nation’s ruling elite. Then, U.S. special forces descended on the fortified compound in Caracas where she and Maduro were staying, and the pair were seized and transported to New York City to face federal charges.
The former first couple of Venezuela now resides in a federal jail situated between a pier and a cemetery in a neighborhood in Brooklyn that has yet to be gentrified. Upon arrival at the jail, Flores was assigned her own cell for six weeks, according to a source who has spoken with her.
Subsequently, she was relocated to the female general population section, which now houses approximately 35 inmates, as confirmed by a jail spokesperson. There is a dormitory-style area with beds arranged in rows in a single large room, and another area where inmates can relax.
“It is not uncomfortable by prison standards,” the source who has spoken with Flores noted. Male and female inmates are entirely separated, and the jail provides no opportunity for Flores and Maduro to see each other.
Occasional fights occur between inmates, posing additional health risks for Flores, according to court filings submitted by her legal representatives. Pursuing release for Maduro’s spouse over health concerns is one of numerous subsidiary issues emerging from the criminal case against the former first couple.
Both individuals will not face a jury trial anytime soon. Maduro and Flores confront numerous charges related to drug trafficking and arms trafficking.
Their attorneys have only just commenced what is anticipated to be an extended series of legal challenges against the Justice Department’s criminal charges. In September, their defense lawyers filed motions arguing that the couple should be granted sovereign immunity.
Maduro continues to be Venezuela’s legitimate head of state, while Flores maintains official positions as Venezuela’s first lady and as a leader of the country’s legislature, they claimed in court documents. Maduro’s 60-page legal brief cites the 2024 U.S.
Supreme Court ruling that granted Donald Trump broad immunity from criminal prosecution. Whatever conduct prosecutors have raised concerns about could potentially be classified as an “official act” in connection with their government roles.
Since Maduro’s capture, Venezuela has asserted head-of-state immunity for Delcy Rodriguez in American court proceedings, but not for Maduro. Additionally, there is the question of why this case is occurring in the United States at all.
Maduro’s attorneys also argue that the primary charge against him — engaging in a narcoterrorism conspiracy by trafficking drugs to U.S.-designated terrorist groups, including the FARC and the Sinaloa Cartel — involves alleged actions that fall beyond the jurisdiction of American courts. It is likely not until next year that Hellerstein will rule on these motions.
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