Additional Coverage:
Former Venezuelan Leader and Wife Appear in NYC Court, Claim Injuries from U.S. Raid
NEW YORK, NY – Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s de facto ruler for 13 years, and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared before a New York City judge today following their capture in a U.S. raid on their Caracas home over the weekend. The couple, facing charges including trafficking and accepting bribes, entered pleas of not guilty.
During the hearing, Cilia Flores’s attorney, Mark Donnelly, a Houston-based white-collar criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor, told the court that Flores sustained “significant injuries during her abduction.” Donnelly stated that the 69-year-old may have a fracture or severe bruising on her ribs, potentially requiring a full X-ray. Barry Pollack, representing Nicolás Maduro, also informed the judge of “some health and medical issues” for his client that would “require attention.”
Maduro’s legal team challenged the legality of his arrest, asserting that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state. However, the U.S. does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state, particularly after opponents presented evidence suggesting he lost the 2024 election. This defense mirrors the unsuccessful attempt by Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega following his capture in 1990.
Pollack reiterated that his client “is head of a sovereign state and entitled to the privilege” that status ensures, and highlighted “questions about the legality of his military abduction.” He indicated that “voluminous” pretrial filings would be submitted to address these legal challenges.
As the hearing concluded, Maduro and Flores were escorted from the courtroom, with their next trial date set for March 17.
Maduro’s arrest has been met with widespread cheers from many Venezuelans and condemnation from American politicians across the political spectrum. Outside the courthouse, dozens of reporters and paid line-sitters braved the cold, some with tents and hand warmers, hoping to secure a spot inside the courtroom, while U.S. Marshals maintained a visible presence in the lobby.
The 25-page indictment released this weekend alleges that Maduro and his associates conspired with Colombian guerrilla groups to traffic cocaine into the United States, a plot U.S. authorities have termed a “narco-terrorism” conspiracy. President Donald Trump, in a celebratory news conference regarding Maduro’s capture, laid out a forthright view of U.S. power in Latin America, a stance that has exposed political divisions across the region.