NEW YORK: Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty Thursday to new torture charges brought against the pair held in US custody since their extraordinary capture in January.

They appeared at a New York court after prosecutors alleged they conspired to commit acts including waterboardings, rapes and beatings against victims, including American citizens, in Venezuelan detention.

Maduro, who has previously called himself a "prisoner of war," slammed the latest charges as "false allegations."

The couple already face drug trafficking and firearms charges in the United States after they were snatched from their Caracas compound in a US military raid.