With the next hearing in New York scheduled for this Thursday (26), Nicolás Maduro’s son projects an optimistic and defiant image of his father and Cilia Flores. However, people with access to the prison, interviewed by CNNpaint a different picture.
Representative Nicolás Maduro Guerra, known as “Nicolasito”, the dictator’s son, stated this Monday (23) that his father remains “in good spirits” and “very strong”, that he even exercises daily and that he will be able to appear in court “thinner and more athletic”.
He also referred to Flores as a “first fighter, firm and alert” in the face of the legal proceedings they both face.
But inside the federal prison where they are being held, a very different reality may be unfolding.
Madouro and Flores, who pleaded not guilty after being transferred to New York in January, face charges related to drug trafficking, money laundering and corruption. Both are being held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center.
Isolation Days
The has been criticized for years for conditions described as dangerous and inhumane.
Some lawyers and inmates even described the center as “hell on Earth”, amid accusations of unsanitary conditions, insecurity and long periods of isolation.
For someone like Maduro, the experience can be even more restrictive. Experts note that high-profile figures are often kept separate from the stampeding population for security reasons.
“I would expect his routine to be 23 hours a day in solitary confinement,” explained Cameron Lindsay, the center’s former director. This involves almost total confinement in a cell, meals delivered through a crack in the door, little or no contact with other prisoners, and limited, often solitary, recreation.
Although the BOP (Federal Bureau of Prisons) has not confirmed which specific unit he is in or provided details about his detention conditions, experts and lawyers agree that individuals with his profile are generally housed in the Special Housing Unit, known as the SHU.
“It’s the most restrictive level within the facility,” criminal and civil rights attorney Daniel McGuinness explained to CNN. There, inmates spend almost the entire day alone in their cells and, when they leave, they do so under strict supervision and with limited communication, according to information from the Department of Justice.
Although it may seem like a punishment, this type of confinement is not always, according to the experts consulted. According to the BOP, in many cases this is administrative detention, a non-punitive measure used to protect the detainee, staff or the judicial process itself, even if it involves restrictive conditions and significant limitations on their daily routine.
Separated from wife
Another important factor is the distance between Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
At MDC, men and women are housed in completely separate units, even if they are married. Furthermore, in federal cases like this one, co-defendants are generally prohibited from communicating with each other.
Under established practices in the federal system, courts may impose “no contact” orders to prevent collusion, witness intimidation, or interference with the judicial process.
This means that, even within the same detention center, Maduro and Flores will likely not be able to see or communicate directly with each other, beyond possible controlled meetings in the presence of their lawyers.
Any other contact with the outside world is possible, but is limited, monitored and subject to strict rules. Visits must be approved in advance, telephone calls are brief — and, under more restrictive conditions, can be reduced to one per month — and there is no unrestricted access to the internet, in accordance with the regulations of the federal penitentiary system.
Complaints about food
Nicolás Maduro Guerra attributes his father’s apparent weight loss to discipline and exercise.
But legal complaints and even recent images point to another possible explanation: the quality of the food inside the penitentiary.
For years, lawyers have alleged that inmates receive expired, undercooked or contaminated food, including spoiled meat and spoiled dairy products.
In a complaint filed in federal court in 2024, a detainee alleged that he was given food, including beans, that were “infested with maggots.” The same document indicates that, after the report, employees from the MDC (Mississippi Department of Corrections) identified the presence of weevils in a bag of beans.
In another court petition filed last year, , also a high-profile inmate at MDC, alleged that the institution “routinely serves expired or vermin-infested food,” suggesting that these were not isolated incidents but rather a pattern within the unit.
“From lack of medical care to serious sanitation problems, including worms in food…everything that can go wrong, is wrong at MDC,” says David Patton, former director of the New York Federal Public Defenders organization.
Federal authorities have rejected some of these accusations, saying that in certain cases there is “no evidence” of food contamination. Still, the persistent complaints point to a long-standing problem.
Exercise in limited conditions
Maduro Guerra stated that his father exercises every day. This version, although possible, probably occurs within very narrow limits.
According to Department of Justice reports, under restrictive conditions, detainee movements are limited and human interaction is minimal.
In some cases, detainees are allowed out for up to an hour a day for recreation, but these activities often occur in enclosed spaces or highly controlled areas that some lawyers and detainees have described as “open-air cages.”
In many cases, physical exercise takes place inside the cell itself: push-ups, sit-ups or simply walking in circles.
Lawyers representing MDC detainees explain that these physical routines not only serve to keep them in shape, but also become one of the few ways to maintain control in an environment where almost everything is determined by others. It is, they say, a way to structure the day when time seems to stand still.
Reports and testimonies compiled by The Marshall Project indicate that, given the lack of adequate medical and mental health care, physical exercise becomes one of the few tools available to deal with stress, anxiety and isolation.
The prison
The Metropolitan Detention Center is a large, industrial-style federal facility that, according to the Federal Department of Corrections, houses more than 1,300 inmates and has been the target of scandal and criticism for years due to its conditions.
It’s dark, overcrowded and noisy, according to Elie Honig, senior legal analyst at CNNwho was inside the facility several times. While all prisons are miserable places, Honig said, “the MDC is perhaps the most miserable” of any he has visited.
Justice Department reports have documented problems with violence, weapons smuggling and frequent solitary confinement. Some inmates described the environment as dangerous, citing incidents of aggression and conditions that put their safety at risk.
They also identified specific deficiencies, including prolonged problems with heating and temperature control, cells that are extremely hot or cold, difficulties in securing adequate medical care, and limitations in access to visits and communication with lawyers during critical periods.
“The quality of medical and mental health services remains deeply deficient,” said civil rights attorney Katie Rosenfeld, who described the environment as truly horrific and difficult.
In response to these allegations, federal authorities say the situation has improved.
In a 2024 report, the Federal Department of Corrections announced the implementation of an “Urgent Action Team” to address troubling conditions within the facility. The report also highlighted the increase in the number of correctional and medical staff, as well as the reduction in violence.
However, lawyers and civil rights organizations argue that these improvements have not fundamentally changed the reality within the unit, which remains under pressure due to insufficient staffing to operate safely and consistently.
The Federal Penitentiary Department did not respond to a request for comment from CNN about conditions at the Maryland Detention Center.
What’s next at the next hearing?
The , scheduled for this Thursday (26) is part of the legal process against them.
It is expected to be an evidentiary hearing, although there are still outstanding issues that the judge may address before or during the hearing, including the dispute over how the defendants’ defense will be funded amid sanctions restrictions and the decision on a protective order for the handling of evidence presented by the prosecution.
From Caracas, the son describes the hearing as “procedural”, in which they hope to “continue to defend the truth about Venezuela and the innocence of Maduro and Cilia”.
In general, the transfers from the Brooklyn jail to the Manhattan courthouse are the only times Maduro and Flores leave the detention center and the only opportunity for the public to see them again.
It will be at the next hearing that a new image of Maduro will emerge.
And, as happens with many inmates after weeks or months in prison, it would not be unusual for their appearance to have changed: perhaps thinner, even more athletic, or, on the contrary, more weakened and haggard, reflecting the physical and emotional impact of confinement.
