The United States is pursuing a second criminal investigation into ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, raising the possibility of additional charges against him, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The new investigation, reportedly being handled by the US Attorney’s Office in Miami, has been ongoing for several months and is examining potential money laundering allegations tied to Maduro and his associates. The probe was already active when US President Donald Trump authorised a military raid in January that led to the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Maduro is already facing federal charges in New York linked to alleged narcoterrorism conspiracy and drug trafficking offences. Prosecutors had cited the 2020 indictment as legal justification for the US special forces operation in Caracas that removed him from power. The former Venezuelan president has pleaded not guilty and is currently awaiting trial in a Brooklyn detention facility.
Sources said the Florida investigation could provide prosecutors with an alternative legal pathway if complications arise in the New York case. President Trump had earlier hinted in March that Maduro could face additional charges in the United States, further intensifying legal pressure on the former Venezuelan leader.
The development comes as federal prosecutors in Miami recently unsealed money laundering charges against Maduro ally Alex Saab. Saab’s arrest and deportation to the US have been viewed as a sign of increasing cooperation between American authorities and Venezuela’s acting administration led by Delcy Rodríguez.
Melissa Enoch
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