Josh Holt describes ‘horrible’ prison conditions in Venezuela, says he’s writing a book

Josh Holt, left, is draped in an America flag by his grandmother, Linda Holt, upon returning to Salt Lake City on Monday, May 28, 2018, as he was freed this weekend after being held in a Venezuelan jail for nearly two years. He returned home to Salt Lake City on Monday night after getting medical care and visiting President Donald Trump in Washington. (AP Photo/Kim Raff)

Utahn Josh Holt described the “horrible” conditions he and his wife endured in a Venezuelan prison and confirmed they’re writing a book during a Tuesday appearance on NBC’s “Today Show.”

Just weeks after Holt and Thamara “Thamy” Caleno wed in 2016, Venezuelan police arrested them on charges of stockpiling weapons and plotting against the government.

In the seven-minute segment, Holt once again denied those allegations, for which he was held in prison for two years. And he told NBC’s Hoda Kotb that prison conditions there were extreme.

“They put me in a cell that was no bigger than a twin bed would be,” he said. “They had covered the door with a plastic bag, so I wasn’t getting very much air. It was super, super hot.

“I was literally just laying on the ground in my underwear and just sweating as cockroaches are crawling all over me. They never took me out to go to the bathroom so if you had to use the bathroom, you either had a bottle or a newspaper.”

His Venezuelan-born wife was also arrested and placed in a “not very big” cell with 23 other women.

Alex Gallivan | Special to the Tribune Josh Holt and his mother Laurie celebrate his return to Utah in Riverton, Monday, May 28,2018

And, according to Josh Holt, Thamy was threatened by Venezuelan authorities “to go against me.”

“She didn’t want to do it. She knew it was all fake. So they actually started to put her fingers into pencil sharpeners to take off her nails. Scare her. They tried to scare her with tasers.”

Two weeks after the Holts were released by the Venezuelans and flown back to the United States, Josh and Thamy appeared on “Today” with his parents, Laurie and Jason Holt. Laurie Holt said she had “a lot of anger” about her son’s imprisonment but knew she “just had to keep pushing” to keep his plight before the public and government officials. “If I wasn’t loud … I knew I’d never get him home.”

Asked what he planned to do now that he’s back in the United States, Josh Holt said, “I’m going to do what I can to bless other people. To help people through situations. Hard situations. To help people learn to change their minds.”

And, he added, “We’re writing a book right now.”