U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who was overseeing the case against Nicolás Maduro, the ousted socialist leader of Venezuela, passed away on Wednesday, as announced by Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain.
Judge Hellerstein, 92, was appointed by former President Bill Clinton back in 1998. During his extensive career, he handled numerous high-profile cases, including those related to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as well as matters involving former President Donald Trump and his administration. Born in December 1933, Hellerstein died of natural causes just a few weeks shy of his 93rd birthday.
In recent months, Hellerstein was overseeing the ongoing trial proceedings against Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were facing multiple drug trafficking charges. New allegations surfaced this month, suggesting that the couple operated a state-sponsored system of repression that involved the torture of various victims during Maduro’s regime, including some American citizens. Both Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to these torture accusations.
Hellerstein was set to preside over the trial, which is scheduled to commence in mid-2027.
“Judge Hellerstein was an insightful and dedicated lawyer, having served for over 25 years as a distinguished jurist after a notable career in the private sector. He managed the extensive tort litigation from the September 11 attacks with a sensitivity and fairness that were commendable, alongside numerous other significant cases,” Chief Judge Swain mentioned in a press advisory on Wednesday.
“His energetic and dedicated service to this Court continued until his death. He will be greatly missed, and our deepest sympathies are extended to his family during this difficult time,” she added.
Hellerstein had been assigned to the drug trafficking case against Maduro as early as 2020, even before U.S. law enforcement arrested Maduro and Flores during an operation in Caracas on January 3, 2026.
According to reports from The Courthouse News Service, Hellerstein appeared somewhat frail while on the bench, particularly when he denied a request for house arrest made by Flores’ defense attorneys. He reportedly mentioned having a “voice problem” that made it challenging to communicate his rulings clearly.
Following his passing, cases previously overseen by Hellerstein will be randomly redistributed among other judges in Manhattan. Reports indicate that the drug trafficking and torture case against Maduro and Flores has now been reassigned to U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres, who was appointed to the court by former President Barack Obama in January 2013. As of now, the trial against Maduro is still set to begin in June 2027, as Judge Hellerstein had originally planned. A pre-trial hearing had also been arranged for December 17 before his death.
“We were saddened to learn of Judge Hellerstein’s passing and extend our condolences to his family,” said Maduro’s defense team in a statement to ABC News on Wednesday.
