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The third court hearing against Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores will not take place on June 30 as scheduled: federal judge Alvin K. Hellerstein agreed on Wednesday to postpone it until July 22, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. (Eastern Time), after a request made by the prosecution with the approval of the defense.
The petition was signed by Federal Prosecutor Jay Clayton from the Southern District of New York, who argued the necessity to avoid “scheduling and logistical issues related to the provision of secure transportation and security measures.”
The World Cup, behind the postponement
The specific reason complicating logistics is the 2026 World Cup: the New York and New Jersey area will host eight matches at MetLife Stadium, including the final scheduled for July 19, which creates an unprecedented operational and security deployment in the city.
On June 30, the original date of the hearing, it coincided with one of the rounds of the tournament in the same stadium, which would have complicated the safe transfer of the defendants from the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, where they have been held for more than 160 days.
The government also requested that the period from June 30 to July 22 be excluded from the count established by the United States Fast Track Law, a request that Judge Hellerstein also accepted.
This exclusion is procedurally relevant: it prevents the defense from claiming a breach of deadlines during that interval.
Extra time for tests and motions
Beyond the logistics, the Prosecutor's Office stated that the additional time will allow them to continue providing evidence to the defense attorneys, who in turn need to review the evidence to determine which pre-trial motions they will file.
This third hearing will also be the first in which Maduro's strengthened legal team will act fully, having incorporated criminal lawyer Anna Estevao from the firm Harris Trzaskoma LLP on June 4.
Estevao is known for having been part of the defense team for rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, where she contributed to achieving the dismissal of the most serious charges. According to her own firm, the attorney "develops innovative and cutting-edge legal arguments that often lead to positive outcomes, such as the complete dismissal of charges."
This adds to the lead attorney Barry Pollack, known for having represented Julian Assange in the WikiLeaks case. The updates in Maduro's legal team had sparked anticipation regarding the direction the defense would take in this pre-trial phase.
The case from the beginning
Maduro and Flores were captured in Caracas on January 3, 2026 during a military operation ordered by President Donald Trump and taken to New York, where they face charges of narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and weapon-related offenses.
Both declared themselves innocent from the first appearance before Judge Hellerstein on January 5, 2026. Maduro refers to himself as a "prisoner of war."
The second hearing, held on March 26, addressed the Prosecutor's request to prohibit the defendants from sharing evidence with co-defendants who remain fugitives, and brought together hundreds of Venezuelans outside the court demanding a conviction.
In parallel, the United States opened in March 2026 a second criminal investigation against Maduro in Miami, focused on money laundering, with Álex Saab -deported from Venezuela on May 16, 2026- as the central figure.
The next court meeting is set for Wednesday, July 22, five days after the World Cup final, when the process will enter a critical phase to define the motions that will outline the path to the trial.
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