Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, appeared in federal court docket in decrease Manhattan on Monday for his or her arraignment on expenses associated to drug trafficking. They have been delivered to the U.S. on Saturday after being captured by U.S. forces in an assault that President Trump described as “a large-scale strike towards Venezuela and its chief,” following months of navy buildup.
Expenses embody narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine and narcotics importation/exportation conspiracy, possession of machine weapons and harmful units, amongst others. U.S. District Decide Alvin Hellerstein, a 92-year-old who has been on the bench since 1998, is presiding over the case.
Maduro and Flores pleaded not responsible to all expenses. Maduro faces 4 counts, and Flores has been charged with three offenses. 4 others are named within the indictment as co-defendants, together with Maduro’s son and Venezuela’s inside minister, Diosdado Cabello.
Here’s what to know in regards to the attorneys for Maduro and Flores, and the prosecutors engaged on the case:
Maduro is represented by Barry Pollack
Hilary Wardhaugh/PA Photographs through Getty Photographs
Maduro is represented by D.C.-based lawyer Barry Pollack. Pollack is a seasoned trial lawyer who represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and a former in-house accountant for Enron. Pollack appeared in court docket alongside Maduro for the arraignment.
Pollack works for the agency Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler LLP. He helped dealer the plea deal that noticed Assange plead responsible in 2024 to a single felony rely for publishing U.S. navy secrets and techniques.
In keeping with his agency, Pollack obtained an entire acquittal of the previous Enron Corp. govt, Michael Krautz, on prison fraud expenses. This was one in all solely two instances that resulted in acquittals within the quite a few prosecutions arising out of the collapse of Enron.
His follow areas embody instances involving public corruption and nationwide safety.
Flores is represented by Mark Donnelly
Mark Donnelly, a lawyer primarily based in Houston, is representing Cilia Flores, in keeping with a court docket submitting.
Donnelly, who works for the agency Parker Sanchez & Donnelly, is licensed to follow in Texas. He labored for 12 years on the Justice Division, together with as senior adviser to the U.S. Legal professional for the Southern District of Texas. There, he led the workplace’s fraud division, in keeping with a biography from his agency.
Donnelly additionally was a prosecutor with the Harris County District Legal professional’s Workplace in Texas for eight years. There, he labored with the general public integrity part and led investigations into elected officers.
His agency lists his areas of specialty as white collar prison protection, enterprise litigation, actual property litigation and whistleblower actions.
Donnelly is a proficient Spanish speaker, in keeping with his legislation agency.
“Our shopper is in good spirits. We look ahead to reviewing and difficult the proof the federal government has,” Flores’ attorneys mentioned in a press release. “Whereas we might like to current our facet now, we’ll wait to take action in court docket on the acceptable time. The primary girl is conscious that there’s a lengthy street forward and is ready.”
America Legal professional’s Workplace prosecuting the case
Larry Neumeister / AP 
The U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace of the Southern District of New York is dealing with the prosecution for this case. The workplace is led by Jay Clayton and covers issues from Manhattan to the Bronx, in addition to counties north of New York Metropolis.
Clayton, the highest federal prosecutor for the area, signed the indictment towards Maduro and his spouse. He started serving as interim U.S. lawyer in April, and in August, the judges on the U.S. district court docket voted to permit him to proceed serving within the position. He’ll stay U.S. lawyer for the Southern District of New York until the Senate confirms or Mr. Trump selects one other candidate to exchange him.
Clayton served as chairman of the Securities and Change Fee in the course of the first Trump administration. He was a companion on the agency Sullivan & Cromwell LLP earlier than becoming a member of the SEC, and returned there after his tenure on the fee resulted in December 2020.
Legal professional Basic Pam Bondi tapped Clayton in November to guide an investigation into convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement with outstanding Democrats and main monetary establishments.
Amanda Houle, who’s listed as one of many lead attorneys within the Maduro case, is the chief of the prison division for the workplace. She returned to the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace from non-public follow.
From 2015 to 2023, Houle labored within the Southern District of New York, together with as chief of the Narcotics Unit and chief of the Nationwide Safety and Worldwide Narcotics Unit, in keeping with the Division of Justice.
Kyle Wirshba can also be an assistant U.S. lawyer for the Southern District of New York. Wirshba has been with the workplace for greater than eight years, in keeping with Linkedin.
In 2020, Wirshba prosecuted a case towards a former member of the Venezuelan Nationwide Meeting, who was charged with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons offenses. In keeping with the Division of Justice, Adel El Zabayar allegedly labored with Maduro to distribute cocaine and weapons in coordination with terrorist organizations.
Michael Lockard is a part of the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace of Nationwide Safety and Worldwide Narcotics Unit. Lockard has dealt with instances involving the governments of Iran and China.
In a single 2025 case that Lockard helped prosecute, two Japanese European organized crime leaders have been convicted of “murder-for rent,” which focused a U.S.-based journalist, in keeping with the Division of Justice.
Nicholas Sutherland Bradley has been concerned within the Maduro case since at the very least October 2023, in keeping with court docket data. He is additionally labored on different high-profile drug trafficking instances, together with issues stemming from a 2011 indictment of greater than 5 dozen gang members primarily based in Yonkers, New York.
Courtroom data present Bradley submitting ceaselessly for judicial permission permitting investigators to make use of pen registers, units or processes that hint cellphone calls and different transmissions from particular telephones or computer systems. Bradley filed for permission for dozens of pen registers in 2025. Courtroom data provide few publicly out there particulars about what, or whom, the registers have been for.
