Cilia Flores, Venezuela's former first lady, has requested to be released from a Brooklyn federal jail to home confinement, citing a worsening heart condition. Her legal team filed court papers on Wednesday arguing that Flores, wife of ex-President Nicolás Maduro, deserves to await trial outside of incarceration due to a heart ailment that has reportedly deteriorated since her detainment.
Flores' lawyers, Mark Donnelly and Andres Sanchez, are seeking permission from a judge to allow her to leave the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn for a residence within the Manhattan federal court district. They propose that she would be under 24-hour armed surveillance at this location and would only be permitted to see visitors pre-approved by the court and federal prosecutors. The proposed home confinement would also include video monitoring and recorded calls, according to the filing.
Flores, 69, and Maduro, 63, were arrested in early January 2026 when U.S. forces seized them from their Caracas home and transported them to New York City. Both have pleaded not guilty to charges alleging their involvement in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine into the United States. The couple has also separately sought to have their indictment dismissed, asserting diplomatic immunity.
According to her lawyers, Flores has a pre-existing condition of mitral valve prolapse. They stated that she has not received a necessary monthly injection to manage the ailment since her incarceration. Instead, she has been prescribed medications including baby aspirin, a statin, diltiazem, and nitroglycerin for chest pains. The filing also noted that Flores has experienced persistent reflux and gastritis, lost two molars, and shed more than 25 pounds. Doctors have advised that she undergo cardiac catheterization, potentially leading to further heart procedures.
"A detention center lacks the conditions needed for such a recovery," Donnelly and Sanchez argued, while also acknowledging that Flores has received excellent care from medical professionals at the jail and hospital. Federal prosecutors have not yet filed a response to the release request, and the judge, Alvin K. Hellerstein, has not yet ruled on the matter. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan declined to comment.