Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein, Who Oversaw Maduro and Trump Cases, Dies at 92

Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who presided over the case against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, has died at 92. The court said he died Tuesday of natural causes, just short of his 93rd birthday.

Hellerstein had served as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York since 1998, when then-President Bill Clinton appointed him. He also handled President Donald Trump's efforts to move his New York criminal case from state court to federal court.

According to the Federal Judicial Center, Hellerstein earned both his bachelor's degree and his J.D. from Columbia University. He served in the U.S. Army JAG Corps from 1957 to 1960 and then spent 38 years in private practice before joining the bench.

With his death, a new judge is expected to be randomly assigned to the Maduro matter.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face a charge of conspiracy to commit torture against Americans and others in order to remain in power, according to a superseding indictment filed in early October. The indictment says Maduro's government "presided over a system of repression that relied on violence against political opposition, arbitrary detention, and the torture of detainees, including United States citizens."

It describes the alleged abuse as including "electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture, such as threats to harm and kill victims' families, including children." Prosecutors allege the couple inflicted severe physical and mental suffering to punish political opposition, silence dissent, protect the power of the conspirators and intimidate opponents, including through kidnappings.

The torture conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison if any of the alleged torture resulted in death, and up to 20 years if it did not.

The pair face numerous other charges and were arrested in Venezuela in January during Operation Absolute Resolve. Maduro was first charged in a 2011 indictment, unsealed by the Trump Justice Department in 2020, with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess such weapons. Flores was charged in a January superseding indictment with cocaine importation conspiracy and the same weapons counts. Both have pleaded not guilty, and a trial is scheduled for June 2027.

Earlier this month, Flores appeared at a bond hearing on her request for release from jail. Her lawyers sought home confinement with GPS tracking, citing a heart condition and arguing she is not a danger to the community. Hellerstein denied the request.