Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who was overseeing the case against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, died at the age of 92 on Tuesday.
Hellerstein had served as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York since 1998, after being appointed by then-President Bill Clinton. He had also presided over President Donald Trump’s attempts to move his New York criminal case from state courts to federal courts.
The court said Hellerstein died of natural causes just short of his 93rd birthday.
Hellerstein earned his J.D. and bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, according to the Federal Judicial Center. He served in the U.S. Army, JAG Corps from 1957-1960 before 38 years of private practice prior to his judicial appointment.
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A new judge is set to be randomly assigned to handle the Maduro case following Hellerstein’s passing.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are both charged with conspiracy to commit torture against Americans and others to stay in power, according to a superseding indictment filed in early October.
Maduro’s government, according to the indictment, “presided over a system of repression that relied on violence against political opposition, arbitrary detention, and the torture of detainees, including United States citizens.”
The torture included “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,” the indictment read.
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The charge carries a maximum of life imprisonment if any of the alleged torture resulted in death, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if not.
The indictment alleges Maduro and Flores “inflicted severe physical and mental pain and suffering to repress and punish political opposition, silence dissent and perceived dissent, preserve and protect the power and authority of the members of the conspiracy, and intimidate, harass, and neutralize their opponents, including through kidnappings.”
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The pair, who face numerous other charges, were arrested in Venezuela in January during Operation Absolute Resolve. Maduro was originally charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices in a 2011 indictment that President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice unsealed in 2020.
Flores was then charged in a superseding indictment in January with cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. They have pleaded not guilty, and a trial is scheduled for June 2027.
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Flores appeared in court earlier this month for a bond hearing on her motion for release from jail. Her lawyers were requesting home confinement with GPS tracking, citing a heart condition and arguing she does not pose a danger to the community. Hellerstein denied the request.
Fox News’ Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.
