Maduro, wife plead not guilty in first court appearance

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty as he was arraigned in a New York court on Monday, facing federal drug and weapons charges.

Maduro described himself as a “decent man,” claiming to be the president of Venezuela, despite the U.S. and dozens of countries contradicting him as a legitimate leader.

“I am not guilty … I am a decent man. I am still the president of my country,” Maduro told the court. “I am the president of Venezuela. I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela.”

Maduro is being represented by attorney Barry Pollack, whose notable clients include Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks. Pollack told the court that Maduro isn’t currently seeking release, but left the door open at a later time.

Cilia Flores, the former first lady of Venezuela, retained Mark Donnelly. She also entered a not guilty plea.

Judge Alvin Hellerstein, 92, who was appointed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1998 by former Democratic President Bill Clinton, will be presiding over the case. He is no stranger to high-profile cases, presiding over cases involving the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack and a lawsuit against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

Maduro and Flores face a slew of charges dating back decades, prompting the U.S. to issue a $50 million reward leading to the arrest of Maduro.

The arraignment marks the first time the former dictator and his wife, Cilia Flores, appear in a U.S. court following their capture carried out by elite U.S. military forces in the early hours of Saturday.

In a social media post Saturday morning, Attorney General Pam Bondi promptly confirmed that Maduro and Flores have been indicted, charged with “narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.”

The attorney general underscored that the couple would “face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”

The next court hearing is scheduled for March.