Judge Alvin Hellerstein, ruling on Javice JPMorgan case; NY Fed judge born 1933, longtime SDNY jurist. final word: senior judge.
On March 26, 2026, Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores appeared in a New York federal court for the first time since their January capture by US forces. They pleaded not guilty to narcoterrorism and drug trafficking charges. The hearing focused on whether Venezuela's government could pay their legal fees, blocked by US sanctions. Judge Alvin Hellerstein questioned the national security rationale for the sanctions but did not dismiss the case.
Venezuelan ex-president Maduro and wife Flores appeared in a US court over drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges. Their legal team disputes the legality of their abduction, while prosecutors detail a decades-long conspiracy involving Colombian groups. The case highlights rare prosecution of a former head of state.