US Judge Orders Maduro and Officials to Pay $314 Million for Kidnapping of Americans

A federal judge in the Southern District of Florida has ordered former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and several senior officials to pay $314 million in damages for the kidnapping, torture, and arbitrary detention of three U.S. citizens. The default judgment, issued by Judge Darrin P. Gayles on July 14, 2026, finds the defendants liable under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act, Florida's Anti-Terrorism Act, and the RICO statute. Source: elcolombiano; infobae

The victims

The three plaintiffs – Jerrel Kenemore, Jason Saad, and Edgar José Marval – were detained in Venezuela and held hostage as part of what the court called a "hostage diplomacy" strategy to pressure the U.S. government to release Alex Saab, a close Maduro ally. Source: elpaises Kenemore was held for 643 days, Saad for 560 days, and Marval for 123 days. All were subjected to beatings, electric shocks, stress positions, and isolation. Source: elnacionalve

The ruling

The judge held Maduro, Saab, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, Agriculture Minister Vladimir Padrino, former Supreme Court President Maikel Moreno, former Interior Minister Néstor Reverol, Attorney General Tarek William Saab, and the criminal group Cartel de los Soles jointly liable. Notably, acting President Delcy Rodríguez was excluded after her lawyers successfully argued head-of-state immunity. Source: elpaises The court noted that Maduro "historically has kidnapped and arbitrarily detained U.S. citizens to exchange them for the release of Venezuelan criminals in the United States." Source: excelsiormx

• The lawsuit was initially filed in August 2025 and reactivated after Maduro's capture by U.S. forces on January 3, 2026, in Caracas. Source: hoydo
• The civil proceeding runs parallel to Maduro's ongoing criminal trial in New York for narcoterrorism. Source: diariolibree