Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are scheduled to make their second appearance in federal court on Thursday as part of an ongoing U.S. prosecution stemming from their dramatic capture earlier this year.
Thursday’s hearing, scheduled in the Southern District of New York, is intended to be a status conference, which is a routine court hearing where the progress of a case is discussed, including potential issues regarding discovery and setting a pre-trial motions schedule. A trial date could also be discussed.
Maduro and Flores were captured on Jan. 3 in a “large-scale strike” by a U.S. military operation in Caracas. The seizure, carried out before dawn by elite American special forces with support from airstrikes targeting Venezuelan defenses, culminated in troops storming Maduro’s heavily guarded compound and detaining him alongside his wife. The United Nations Security Council has accused the U.S. of violating international law in the capture of Maduro.
Maduro and Flores face a series of serious charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy and drug trafficking offenses, tied to longstanding U.S. allegations that they were involved in a large-scale cocaine distribution network.
Both pleaded not guilty during their first court appearance in January. The pair has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn for nearly three months.
Maduro asked Senior U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein to dismiss the criminal case against him last month, arguing that a dispute over legal fees has undermined his constitutional right to a fair defense. Maduro and Flores’ lawyers notified the court in February that they can’t be paid until the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issues the necessary licenses to receive payments directly from the government of Venezuela. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at CNN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.
Lisa Rubin is MS NOW's senior legal reporter and a former litigator.
Fallon Gallagher is a legal affairs reporter for MS NOW. Recommended
