Federal judge who oversaw Maduro, Trump cases dead at 92

Key Points:

• Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who oversaw the case against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, died at age 92 from natural causes just before his 93rd birthday.
• Hellerstein had served as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York since 1998 and presided over significant cases, including President Trump's attempts to move his New York criminal case to federal court.
• Following Hellerstein's death, a new judge will be randomly assigned to handle the Maduro case, in which Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face charges of conspiracy to commit torture and other crimes.
• The indictment alleges Maduro's government engaged in severe repression tactics, including torture and violence against political opponents, with potential penalties of life imprisonment or up to 20 years depending on the outcome of the torture charges.
• Maduro and Flores, arrested in Venezuela in January 2023, have pleaded not guilty, with their trial scheduled for June 2027; a recent bond request by Flores citing health concerns was denied by Hellerstein before his passing.