U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein has been assigned to preside over the federal criminal case against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in the Southern District of New York.
The toppled socialist dictator faces sweeping narco-terrorism and weapons charges in the U.S. after being captured by American forces in Venezuela on Saturday.
Hellerstein, 92, was nominated to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton in 1998 and confirmed by the Senate that same year.
He assumed senior status in 2011 but continues to actively manage cases.
Over the course of his career, Hellerstein has overseen a number of high-profile matters.
He supervised the consolidation of thousands of civil lawsuits stemming from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, administering compensation disputes involving victims and families.
Hellerstein also handled litigation connected to Harvey Weinstein and cases involving Venezuelan officials, including proceedings related to former general Hugo Carvajal.
However, Hellerstein’s efforts to undermine President Donald Trump’s authority in more recent years raise concerns about his impartiality.
Hellerstein has issued rulings limiting certain executive actions under Trump.
In 2025, he blocked the use of the Alien Enemies Act for deportations of Venezuelan nationals suspected of involvement in gangs designated as terrorist organizations by the United States, citing due-process concerns.
He also halted deportations of individuals tied to protests related to the Israel-Gaza conflict, ruling that the application of emergency powers in that context was unlawful.
In addition, Hellerstein denied early requests from Trump’s legal team to move the former president’s New York “hush money” state criminal conviction to federal court, though an appeals court later remanded the case for further review.
The superseding indictment against Maduro was unsealed January 3, 2026.
It charges the former despot, his wife Cilia Flores, his son Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra, and three additional defendants with:
• narco-terrorism conspiracy
• conspiracy to import cocaine
• possession of machine guns and destructive devices
• conspiracy to possess such weapons
Prosecutors allege the defendants helped facilitate the movement of large quantities of cocaine into the United States for more than two decades, working in coordination with multiple drug-trafficking networks.
If convicted, the narco-terrorism and cocaine-importation conspiracy counts each carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The weapons-related counts also carry potential life penalties, with possible mandatory minimums depending on the circumstances established at trial.
Maduro is scheduled to make his initial court appearance and be arraigned on Monday at noon in Manhattan federal court.
READ MORE – Trump: Cuba Is ‘Going Down’ After Removal of Venezuela’s Maduro
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