Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores May Rely on Public Defenders in New York After Lawyers Withdraw Over Nonpayment

The court case against Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York reportedly entered a new phase on Friday, after Judge Alvin Hellerstein initiated the process to assign federal public defenders (CJA) to both defendants, according to media outlets such as the Diario Las Américas and Efecto Cocuyo.

According to reports, Maduro and Flores' private legal team, headed by renowned litigator Barry Pollack, filed a motion to withdraw from the case for non-payment of fees.

The information was amplified on social networks by journalist Laura Weffer, co-founder of Efecto Cocuyo, who wrote on her 'X' account: "From this moment on, Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores will be represented by public defenders in New York. The private lawyers who were handling the case until now, are withdrawing due to lack of payment".

The conflict over the financing of the defense began since the first hearing. In fact, Pollack had been warning since February that he would have to withdraw if the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Treasury Department did not authorize the use of Venezuelan government funds to cover legal fees. OFAC briefly granted a license on January 9, but revoked it three hours later.

At the March 26 hearing, Judge Hellerstein refused to dismiss the charges at the defense's request, but questioned the U.S. government about blocking the funds. As reported by CNN, the magistrate noted that the right to defense "is paramount" in the face of national security interests, especially considering that Washington has relaxed sanctions on Venezuela following the capture of Maduro and his wife on January 3. Even so, Hellerstein offered Pollack the way out that would now be materializing, after several months without payments: withdraw and allow the appointment of public defenders.

The central argument of the defense, based on the Sixth Amendment, argues that the defendants have the right to an attorney of their choice and that the impossibility to pay Pollack violates that right. The prosecution, led by Kyle Wirshba, however, argues that allowing the use of Venezuelan funds would undermine existing sanctions.

Maduro and Flores face charges of narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine and weapons-related offenses. Both pleaded not guilty after their capture on January 3, 2026 in Caracas, at the hands of U.S. special forces. They are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. No trial date has been set.