Ousted Venezuelan chief Nicolas Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, are scheduled to make their preliminary appearances on Monday in a federal courtroom in Manhattan following their seize by U.S. forces in a army operation within the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.
The couple is predicted to seem in entrance of Choose Alvin Hellerstein at 12 p.m. ET. Each are at the moment being held in federal custody at MDC-Brooklyn.
Ousted President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela and his spouse, Cilia Flores arrive on the Wall Road Heliport in New York Metropolis, January 5, 2026.
Kyle Mazza-CNP/Shutterstock
Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives on the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads in direction of the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an preliminary look to face U.S. federal prices together with narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, cash laundering and others in New York Metropolis, January 5, 2026.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
It’s not but clear whether or not Maduro and Flores had retained authorized counsel forward of their arraignments. Maduro has lengthy denied all of the allegations.
Maduro and Flores are amongst six defendants named in a four-count superseding indictment that accused them of conspiring with violent, harmful drug traffickers for the final 25 years.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is escorted, as he heads to an preliminary courtroom look to face U.S. federal prices together with narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, cash laundering and others in New York Metropolis, January 5, 2026.
Adam Grey/Reuters
Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives on the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads in direction of the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an preliminary look to face U.S. federal prices together with narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, cash laundering and others in New York Metropolis, January 5, 2026.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Maduro’s son, two high-ranking Venezuelan officers and an alleged chief of the Tren de Aragua legal gang are the opposite defendants.
U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned on Saturday that the U.S. “efficiently carried out a large-scale strike in opposition to Venezuela” through which Maduro and Flores have been “captured and flown out of the Nation.”
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro is escorted by U.S. Drug Enforcement Brokers after arriving in New York Metropolis, January 3, 2026.
Obtained by ABC Information
Trump mentioned the operation was carried out at the side of U.S. legislation enforcement. Members of Congress mentioned the army, which sources mentioned included the elite Delta Pressure, was in place to assist that legislation enforcement operation.
In a transfer that alarmed some observers, Trump, who campaigned on “America First” and in opposition to international entanglements, mentioned throughout a press convention at Mar-a-Lago the U.S. would “run” Venezuela for an unspecified “time frame.”
This seize taken on Jan. 3, 2026, from UGC footage launched by Jose Abreu in his X account @Jabreu89, reveals smoke billowing over Caracas after a collection of explosions a part of a US army operation that led to the seize of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
@Jabreu89/X through AFP through Getty Photographs
He mentioned a staff comprised of a few of his Cupboard officers together with a neighborhood staff in Venezuela can be “operating the nation” as a result of there’s “no one to take over.”
“We’ll run it correctly. We’ll run it professionally. We’ll have the best oil firms on the planet go in and make investments billions and billions of {dollars} and take out cash, use that cash in Venezuela, and the most important beneficiary are going to be the folks of Venezuela,” Trump mentioned.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as interim chief to guide the nation after what the Venezuelan Supreme Court docket described as Maduro’s “kidnapping.”
Rodriguez demanded Maduro’s return and vowed to defend Venezuela in opposition to American aggression.
View of a broken constructing in Catia La Mar, La Guaira State, Venezuela, January 4, 2026, a day after Venezuela’s chief Nicolas Maduro was captured in a US strike.
Federico Parra/AFP through Getty Photographs
On Sunday, Rodriguez posted a press release to social media through which she appeared to melt her tone, inviting “the U.S. authorities to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented in direction of shared improvement throughout the framework of worldwide legislation to strengthen lasting group coexistence.”
Trump informed reporters on Sunday that the U.S. is “in cost” of Venezuela.
The president mentioned he had not but spoken to Rodriguez. Requested if he needed to, Trump mentioned, “On the proper time, I’ll.”
ABC Information’ Meghan Mistry and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.
