Nicolás Maduro officially pleaded not guilty in a New York courtroom on Monday, following his high-stakes overnight capture by the U.S. Army on Saturday. He also claimed that he continues to serve as Venezuela’s head of state while in federal custody.
After reportedly waiving his right to have the indictment against him read in court, Maduro was asked for his plea by U.S. District Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein.
Maduro replied, “I am innocent, I am not guilty, I am a decent man. I am still president of my country,” according to Courthouse News reporter Josh Russell.
His wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro, similarly told the judge she was “not guilty, completely innocent.”
It was additionally reported that Maduro will make a bid for pretrial release on March 17, when the next hearing for the case is scheduled.
Maduro was originally indicted in New York in 2020, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Saturday unsealed the latest charges against the former Venezuelan leader and his wife. The indictment also charges other alleged criminal associates, including Maduro’s son.
Shortly before his appearance, a court filing revealed he will be represented by Barry Pollack of the firm Harris, St. Laurent, and Welscher.
Pollack previously represented WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, including in 2024, when he secured a plea agreement that led to Assange’s release.
“He has suffered tremendously in his fight for free speech, for freedom of the press, and to ensure that the American public and the world gets truthful and important newsworthy information,” said Pollack after his client was released. “We firmly believe that Mr. Assange never should have been charged under the Espionage Act and engaged in exercise that journalists engage in every day, and we are thankful that they do.”
Pollack was also part of the defense team that successfully obtained acquittals for former top employees of Enron Corp., with Pollack specifically representing the company’s former accountant, Michael Krautz.
“After three months, the jury didn’t find guilt,” Pollack said in 2005, according to CBS News. “That tells us something of the government’s use of its resources in this case.”
Praise has poured in since President Donald Trump announced Maduro’s capture on Saturday, with Tennessee Republicans and organizations joining the chorus.
The founder of a Cuban independent news platform that documents human rights abuses in South America also celebrated Maduro’s capture, stating she hoped it would lead “to the day when communism finally collapses in our Hemisphere once and for all.”
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Nicolás Maduro” by Palácio do Planalto. CC BY 2.0.
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