Maduro faces new criminal investigation from federal prosecutors in Miami
According to outlets such as CBS and Reuters, the new probe against the former Venezuelan president comes amid doubts over the viability of the charges filed when he was detained in January by US forces
Nicolás Maduro, the former president of Venezuela who was seized by U.S. forces in January and taken to a New York prison, faces a new legal challenge. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami is examining a new criminal inquiry into Maduro, U.S. outlets such as CBS and Reuters have reported in recent days. It is unclear whether that probe will lead to additional charges.
The new investigations come amid growing doubts about the viability of the case opened after Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained on January 3, given the difficulty of proving the charges brought against them. Maduro and Flores are facing narcotics and firearms-related charges in New York. But now the U.S. is pursuing a second criminal investigation into the former president. The story was first reported by the U.S. network CBS.
This second investigation, led by the Miami U.S. Attorney’s Office, has been underway for several months, according to two sources cited by Reuters, one from the Department of Justice and another close to the investigation.
The possibility of these new charges comes just days after the Venezuelan government announced the deportation of Colombian businessman Alex Saab, one of Maduro’s main financial operators and Venezuela’s former industry minister.
The order targeting Maduro, issued by senior Department of Justice officials, was signed when the Venezuelan leader was already in custody in connection with the charges filed in New York, CBS reports, citing anonymous sources.
The new investigation was formally opened around March, according to the sources cited by CBS. Michael Berger, a respected Miami-based prosecutor specializing in international criminal cases, was assigned to oversee the inquiry; he is working alongside several FBI agents and agents from Homeland Security Investigations. The IRS Criminal Investigation Division is also participating in the case.
Saab — who was until recently protected by the Maduro regime — fell from grace after the capture of the Venezuelan leader on January 3. He was detained the following month under unclear circumstances. His whereabouts and the charges against him were unknown at that point. U.S. authorities, however, now accuse Saab of allegedly helping to conspire to launder money linked to a Venezuelan public food assistance program.
When he arrived at a federal court in Miami on Monday, Saab was informed that he is accused of bribing senior officials to enrich himself through lucrative government contracts. According to the indictment, Saab allegedly conspired with others to bribe Venezuelan public officials to secure profitable contracts from the Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP) for importing food to Venezuela.
Saab previously served two years in U.S. custody on money-laundering charges after being extradited from Cape Verde. However, in 2023, then‑U.S. president Joe Biden granted him a pardon, and Saab was returned to Venezuela as part of a prisoner exchange with the Maduro government.
Saab’s fall comes as Washington and Caracas — until last January fierce foes — improve relations. In another sign of this diplomatic thaw, the U.S. Treasury Department lifted sanctions last April against Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez.
The Trump administration removed Delcy Rodríguez’s name from the main U.S. sanctions list, the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, which includes leaders or figures subject to U.S. financial sanctions.
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