The wife of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Cilia Flores, asked a federal judge late Wednesday to release her from jail pending trial, citing a “serious” heart condition.
In the filing, Flores’ attorney Mark Donnelly said she “deserves the opportunity to await her trial while on home confinement” in order to recover from a recommended cardiac catheterization, which could lead to more invasive heart procedures.
“Prior to the United States’ military invasion of Venezuela, Ms. Flores de Maduro was physically healthy and took no ongoing medication, other than a monthly injection to help control her mitral valve prolapse,” Donnelly said.
Now, Flores is prescribed multiple medications, including one to take in the event of a potential heart attack, while continuing to grapple with the medical recommendations that she undergo testing and surgery, he said.
Donnelly said Flores has not received her monthly injection for her mitral valve prolapse since her incarceration.
Flores, 69, and Maduro, 63, have been held at a Brooklyn jail since U.S. forces captured the couple at their Caracas home in a nighttime raid and brought them to New York to face criminal charges in January.
The couple was federally charged with conspiracy to import cocaine, along with possession of machine guns and destructive devices. Maduro is also charged with a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
In the indictment, prosecutors in Manhattan alleged that Maduro and his co-conspirators have, “for decades, partnered with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world, and relied on corrupt officials throughout the region, to distribute tons of cocaine to the United States.”
Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to all counts and are scheduled to go to trial in June. They face potential life sentences if a jury finds them guilty.
Last week, they asked a federal judge to dismiss the drug trafficking indictment, arguing they are immune from prosecution as the leader and first lady of a foreign country.
If Flores were released ahead of trial, her attorney recommended placing her under home detention with GPS location monitoring, 24-hour armed surveillance, surrender of all travel documents, and a third-party custodian approved by pretrial services and the court.
Donnelly said the Trump administration is aware of his client’s request but opposes her release.
“Despite the ongoing efforts of the MDC staff, a detention center lacks the conditions needed for such a recovery. Her reticence to undergo cardiac exploration and surgery only to return to the conditions which have contributed to the deterioration of her health is reasonable,” he said.
Flores has lost more than 25 pounds and two molars and sleeps no more than three to four hours per day, according to Donnelly.
On July 29, Flores experienced “a significant, 30-minute episode of intense pressure in her chest along with feeling a lack of oxygen” and “suffers from lingering light-headedness, dizziness, and shortness of breath,” the filing stated.
Flores’ legal team, in consultation with outside medical experts, believes she may have suffered a minor heart attack during the July episode. However, because lab tests were not taken or documented in her medical records at the time, the extent of her condition remains unclear, Donnelly said.
A spokesperson for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
