Legal Battle Intensifies as Judge Calls Maduro's Wealth 'Plundered'

Thu Mar 26 2026 21:22:17 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

In an ongoing court case, Judge Alvin Hellerstein expressed concerns over the legality of using Venezuelan government funds for Nicolás Maduro's defense as prosecutors claim he has 'plundered' his country's wealth.

Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are embroiled in a legal battle over funding their defense against serious charges in a U.S. court. Prosecutors argue that Maduro's alleged misappropriation of national wealth prohibits him from accessing government funds for his legal fees. The judge expressed sympathy for the right to a proper defense while also highlighting the complexities of U.S. sanctions against the couple. A decision on their case is expected at a future court date.

A judge appeared sympathetic on Thursday to legal arguments that ex-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores should be allowed to use money from the Venezuelan government to fund their defense.

Maduro and Flores's attorneys asked the judge to dismiss the narco-terrorism case against the pair because the U.S. denied them use of the funds for their lawyers due to current sanctions. Prosecutors argued Maduro plundered Venezuela's wealth and should not be able to use that country's money for legal fees. The 92-year-old Judge Alvin Hellerstein, however, noted that the right to defense is paramount, though he said he would not dismiss the case over the dispute.

He stated he would issue a ruling at a later time, including the next court date. Maduro and Flores were seized by U.S. forces from his compound in Caracas in a dramatic night-time raid on January 3, and were brought to New York to face allegations of weapon and drug offenses, which they deny.

On Thursday, wearing green khaki prison jumpsuits, Maduro and his wife sat quietly with several lawyers in-between them listening to a translation of the arguments through headphones. The mood stood in stark contrast to their first court appearance when Maduro gave a speech lasting several minutes claiming he had been kidnapped and was innocent, which concluded with a man yelling at Maduro from the back of the courtroom.

Because the Maduros and the Venezuelan government are subject to U.S. sanctions, they needed to obtain a license to allow the government to pay their legal fees. The U.S. Government Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) initially granted that license, then revoked it. Prosecutors claimed in court that the Maduros should not access Venezuelan government funds due to national security concerns, asserting that the couple possessed personal funds for legal fees, which the Maduros denied.

Judge Hellerstein seemed to side with Maduro's lawyer Barry Pollock's argument that the unusual case against the former leader, taking place in another country, would be overwhelming for a public defender to take on.

Prosecutors argued that OFAC was not allowing the Maduros to access Venezuelan government funds because of longstanding sanctions imposed during Maduro's regime, as they alleged the Maduros had plundered the wealth of Venezuelans for their own gain. Judge Hellerstein questioned this logic, suggesting that due to the Maduros' capture, the foreign policy situation had changed.

Maduro's legal team was seeking to dismiss the whole case due to the funding dispute, and the judge inquired several times about the possible relief for both sides. Prosecutors indicated that if the judge showed inclination toward the Maduros’ dismissal request, they would return to the U.S. government for reconsideration of the funds release.

The U.S. has accused Maduro of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. Neither of the Maduros has made an application for bail and are being held in Brooklyn's federal Metropolitan Detention Center, with no trial date set yet.

Residents of Caracas are closely following developments in the court case, with differing opinions on Maduro's fate. Some express sympathy for him, while others feel he must be held accountable for his actions, but all agree that the situation continues to evolve.