NEW YORK — Alvin K. Hellerstein, the veteran federal judge overseeing the criminal prosecution of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, died Wednesday at age 92, leaving one of the United States’ most closely watched criminal cases to be reassigned.
Hellerstein’s death was confirmed by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which said he died of natural causes.
Court officials said another federal judge would be randomly assigned to take over the prosecution of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who face charges related to alleged drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.
The trial is scheduled to begin June 1, 2027. There has been no announcement of a change to that date following Hellerstein’s death.
Maduro and Flores were captured during a U.S. military operation in Venezuela in January and brought to New York to face federal criminal charges. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Hellerstein had continued overseeing the case despite his advanced age, presiding over a hearing in Manhattan earlier this month.
Appointed to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton in 1998, Hellerstein served for nearly three decades and handled numerous high-profile proceedings involving political figures, major corporations and national security matters.
Among his most notable assignments were lawsuits arising from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, including claims involving deaths, injuries and property damage.
He also presided over legal matters involving President Donald Trump, including efforts to move Trump’s New York hush money criminal case into federal court.
In August, Hellerstein rejected another attempt by Trump to transfer the case and seek its dismissal on presidential immunity grounds.
The judge assumed senior status in 2011 but remained unusually active, continuing to hear significant cases well into his 90s.
His death introduces a change in judicial leadership in the Maduro prosecution, although the proceedings are expected to continue under a newly assigned judge.
Sources: Associated Press · Reuters · ABC News
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Federal judge overseeing Nicolás Maduro trial dies at 92.