6 hrs ago
Nicolás Maduro's Wife Seeks Home Confinement Over Heart Condition
Cilia Flores is the wife of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
She and Maduro are being held in a jail in Brooklyn, New York.
They are accused by US prosecutors of helping send cocaine into the United States.
Both have said they are not guilty.
Flores says she has a heart problem that has become worse in jail.
Her lawyers want her to recover at home instead.
They have offered strict rules, including armed guards, cameras and approved visitors.
A judge has not yet decided whether to grant her request.
Cilia Flores asked a federal judge to move her from Brooklyn jail to monitored home confinement.
Her lawyers say her mitral valve prolapse has worsened and that she has missed a monthly injection since her arrest.
Flores has experienced chest pains, reflux, gastritis, tooth loss and more than 25 pounds of weight loss, according to court filings.
Her proposed home confinement would include armed 24-hour surveillance, video monitoring and recorded calls.
Flores and Nicolás Maduro have pleaded not guilty to US cocaine-trafficking charges and are scheduled for trial next June.
- Who
- Cilia Flores, the wife of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and her lawyers requested the change in detention.
- What
- Flores asked to leave federal jail and await trial under closely monitored home confinement because of worsening health problems.
- Where
- She is detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and seeks confinement at a home within the Manhattan federal court district.
- When
- Her lawyers filed the request Wednesday; Flores and Maduro are scheduled to stand trial next June after being arrested in early January.
- Why
- Her lawyers say her mitral valve prolapse and other health problems have worsened in detention and that a detention center is unsuitable for recovery from possible heart procedures.
Key facts
- Defendant
- Cilia Flores, 69
- Co-defendant
- Nicolás Maduro, 63
- Current detention
- Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn
- Requested arrangement
- Home confinement with 24-hour armed surveillance and court-approved visitors
- Medical condition
- Mitral valve prolapse, with reported chest pains, reflux and gastritis
- Reported weight loss
- More than 25 pounds (11.3 kilograms)
- Trial timing
- Scheduled for next June in Manhattan federal court
- Judge
- Alvin K. Hellerstein
Quotes
Mark Donnelly and Andres Sanchez
Attorneys representing Cilia Flores in the federal criminal case
“will need adequate time to recover from any procedures in a setting conducive to restoring her health.”
NDTV
“deserves the opportunity to await her trial while on home confinement”
NDTV
Sources
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