Alvin Hellerstein

Force in Play

Assigned to preside over Maduro arraignment

Delta Force operators captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a pre-dawn Caracas raid on January 3, 2026. Maduro pleaded not guilty in Manhattan and is jailed in Brooklyn awaiting a June 1, 2027 trial, while Delcy Rodríguez remains acting president and has not set an election date.

Updated 4 days ago

Rule Changes

Presiding over the Maduro trial, scheduled June 2027

Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela's former president, pleaded not guilty in a New York federal courtroom on October 15 to charges he conspired to torture political opponents. Judge Alvin Hellerstein entered the plea after Maduro twice refused to answer directly, calling the allegations “false accusations and false testimony.”

Updated Oct 20