‘Nothing Is Off the Table’: DOJ Tightens Noose as Nicolás Maduro and Wife Plead Not Guilty, Victims Demand Maximum Justice

Fresh off their first Manhattan court appearance before Clinton appointed judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty as Pam Bondi warned that “nothing is off the table”—while victims of the regime begged the court to lock the tyrant away for life.

Attorney General Bondisays ‘nothing is off the table’ after dictator, wife have first court appearance

Maduro and Flores both pleaded not guilty in a federal court.

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JUST IN: PATRIOTS are outside the federal courthouse in NYC chanting “USA! USA!” and holding TRUMP flags as Maduro pleads not guilty

The crowds outside are MASSIVE! pic.twitter.com/IT1znzCulm

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 5, 2026

Buenos días, mi gente trabajadora
Feliz lunes.
Cuándo un zurdo de mierda diga que Venezuela era una democracia y que @realDonaldTrump quiere el petróleo, solo hay que mostrarle este video de la democracia en la Venezuela de Maduro y como la aplican a los opositores en la cárcel… pic.twitter.com/GaZ3QulUcD

— 🅴🅻 🅲🆄🅲🅷 (@elcuchoantic) January 5, 2026

Nicolas Maduro, the dethroned Venezuelan dictator indicted on major drug trafficking and weapons charges in the United States, arrived in a federal court in New York at noon Monday for his arraignment, days after American forces captured him in his own presidential palace. As U.S. Marshals escorted him into the courtroom, he greeted members of the press and the public in the gallery by saying “Happy New Year” in Spanish. Minutes into the proceeding, the judge cut him off when he claimed he had been “kidnapped.” Judge Alvin Hellerstein had asked him to confirm his full name. “I am Nicolas Maduro Moros,” the defendant replied, through a translator. “My name is President Nicolas Maduro Moros, President of Venezuela. I am here, kidnapped, and I am here since January 3rd, Saturday. I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela.” The judge cut him off and said the hearing was not the proper time for Maduro to protest his arrest. Moments later, the judge asked him to enter a plea. “I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country,” Maduro told the court (Fox News).

Maduro’s own nephews were arrested in drug trafficking — and found guilty of using the money to help the Maduro family. Despite what leftists allege, this is not a Trump-only accusation. The Biden administration was the one who announced the charges against Maduro in March 2020. pic.twitter.com/TaUuhsFoXG

— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) September 8, 2025

https://twitter.com/theinformant_x/status/2008237181111087328?s=20

NYC: Venezuelans CELEBRATE outside Manhattan Federal Court as Maduro pleads “Not Guilty” inside

Video by @yyeeaahhhboiii2 @FreedomNTV Desk@freedomnews.tv to license pic.twitter.com/zgpr5QITfF

— Oliya Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) January 5, 2026

Toppled Venezuelan despot Nicolas Maduro declares himself ‘a decent man,’ claims he was ‘kidnapped’ by US forces as he pleads not guilty in NYC

By Ben Kochman, Kyle Schnitzer and Chris Nesi, BY Post, Jan. 5, 2026

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Toppled ruthless Venezuelan despot and accused narco-terrorist Nicolás Maduro defiantly claimed Monday he was “kidnapped’’ while making his historic first appearance in chains in Manhattan court —declaring, “I am a decent man.’’

The 63-year-old deposed dictator — his legs shackled and wearing blue and orange jail garb — entered the courtroom flanked by US marshals after his extraordinary made-for-Hollywood capture Saturday.

Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores escorted in handcuffs by federal agents.
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Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores being transported to a Manhattan courthouse on Monday, January 5, 2026.
ZUMAPRESS.com
The ousted South American tyrant, acting as if he still commanded power on the world stage, pronounced “Happy New Year” in English to reporters packed into the jury box for space, then again to those in the gallery before greeting his lawyers and taking a seat.

Maduro — notorious for torturing, imprisoning and starving his countrymen while in power — almost immediately interrupted his appearance with a proclamation of his innocence when 92-year-old federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein asked him to confirm his identity.

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“I’m the president of the Republic of Venezuela. … I am here kidnapped. … I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela,” the infamous suspect, wearing black headphones for his translation feed, whined in Spanish before the judge stopped him.

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“Your counsel will be able to make motions. … At this time, I just want to know one thing: Are you Nicolás Maduro Moros?” the judge asked.

The infamous dictator replied, “I am Nicolás Maduro Moros.’’

The judge, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, then informed Maduro of his rights, including that he didn’t have to speak and that he can have a court-appointed lawyer if he can’t afford a private one.

In court with Maduro was legal eagle Barry Pollack, who famously negotiated the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2024 and is helping to rep the beleaguered Venezuelan — hinting his defense will question the legality of the US action to capture Maduro in the first place.

Maduro, when asked by Hellerstein if he was aware of his rights, responded, “I did not know of these rights.

The judge then formally arraigned Maduro on the charges against him, including a range of narco-terrorism, drug and weapons offenses that could carry the death penalty.

Maduro and his wife are charged with working with drug cartels to ship thousands of tons of cocaine into the US for more than 20 years, between 1999 and 2025.

Maduro is charged with narcoterrorism for allegedly working with terror groups, and both are separately charged with “cocaine importation conspiracy.”

Additionally, Maduro and Flores are charged with possessing machine guns, and “conspiracy to possess machine guns.”

The case comes just a few years after US prosecutors brought another drug-trafficking case in the same courthouse against another South American head of state: former Honduras president Juan Orlando Hernandez. Hernandez was sentenced in June 2024 to serve 45 years in prison. But in December, President Trump pardoned him, claiming he was treated “unfairly” by US authorities.

Maduro, clad in jail-issued orange shoes, beige pants and a blue shirt over an orange shirt — with his hands left unshackled — was asked Monday how he pleaded, then started spouting again, “I am innocent.

“I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country,” he insisted.

He furiously scribbled notes on a yellow legal pad during the proceedings while continuing to denounce the indictment against him.

“I am not guilty of anything that is mentioned here,” he said.

Maduro asked at one point that his notes be “respected” and that he be “entitled to keep them,” an unusual request Hellerstein agreed to without hesitation.