The criminal case against deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is being handled by one of the most experienced judges in the United States federal system, 92-year-old Judge Alvin Hellerstein. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared before Hellerstein in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday, where both pleaded not guilty to charges including narco-terrorism.
Maduro was indicted in 2020 as part of a long-running drug trafficking investigation that has been before Hellerstein for nearly 15 years. The case has already resulted in the conviction of Hugo Armando Carvajal, Venezuela’s former intelligence chief.
Judge Hellerstein is a graduate of Columbia University Law School and served as a lawyer in the US Army from 1957 to 1960 before entering private practice. He was appointed to the federal bench in 1998 after being nominated by then president Bill Clinton.
Over his decades-long career, Hellerstein has presided over numerous high-profile cases. These include civil lawsuits linked to the September 11 attacks, major financial fraud cases involving senior business figures, and rulings related to detainee abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He has also ruled against actions by Donald Trump on multiple occasions, including rejecting efforts to move a criminal case to federal court and blocking deportations without hearings. His courtroom now hosts one of the most closely watched international cases in years.
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