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 pros...