Judge Declines to Dismiss Case Against Nicolás Maduro Over Funding Issue

The judge said he would decide whether to allow Venezuela to pay Maduro’s legal fees at a later date.

Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores (rear), are escorted by federal agents after landing at a Manhattan helipad, as they make their way into an armored car en route to a federal courthouse in New York City on Jan. 5, 2026. XNY/Star Max/GC Images

NEW YORK CITY—A federal judge on March 26 declined to dismiss the drug trafficking indictment against Nicolás Maduro after the former Venezuelan leader’s attorney tried to get the case thrown out over an international dispute about legal fees.

Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, argued that the United States violated the ousted leader’s constitutional rights by preventing the Venezuelan regime from using funds to cover his legal expenses.