The New York judge handling the US criminal case against Venezuela’s ousted president has died. Alvin K. Hellerstein was 92.Alvin K. Hellerstein, a US federal judge in Manhattan, died on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, at the age of 92.
He was the judge overseeing the criminal case against Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s ousted president.The news came from the court itself, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), which covers Manhattan.
Ed Friedland, the court’s executive director, announced the death.For US readers, this matters because the case is being tried in an American courtroom, not abroad.
The judge who handled it so far will now be replaced by another federal judge.
- Who: Alvin K. Hellerstein, 92, the Manhattan federal judge overseeing the trial of Venezuela’s ousted president, Nicolás Maduro.
- What: He died on Wednesday, 28 October 2026; no official cause has been confirmed.
- Next: A random draw among the court’s judges will pick the new judge, not yet named.
- Prediction markets: Polymarket, a prediction-market platform, prices 31.0% for guilty on all counts and 4.7% for release by year-end.
- As of 28 October 2026, 17:10 GMT
What We Know
Reports of the death were still developing on Wednesday afternoon. The court’s executive announced it on Wednesday, and no place of death was given.
One early report cited natural causes, which we have not confirmed with the court.Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, a former First Lady of Venezuela, are the defendants in the case.
Hellerstein’s other open cases will also pass to other judges.
Who Was Judge Hellerstein
Hellerstein was born in New York in 1933. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in 1954 and a law degree from Columbia Law School in 1956.
President Bill Clinton nominated him to the federal bench on 15 May 1998. The US Senate confirmed him on 21 October 1998.
In 2011 he took senior status, a form of partial retirement in which a judge keeps hearing cases. Among the cases he handled were lawsuits arising from the attacks of 11 September 2001.
What Happens to the Maduro Case
The Maduro case will go to another federal judge, picked by random draw among the court’s judges. The new judge has not been named.
US forces captured Maduro in Caracas on 3 January 2026 and took him to New York. He and Flores pleaded not guilty on 15 October 2026 to an expanded indictment.
The expanded charges add conspiracy to commit torture, as we reported when the US used a rare torture law in the case. The indictment was unsealed on 8 October 2026, and the not guilty pleas followed a week later.
Earlier planning set the trial for June 2027 in Manhattan, as we set out in our report on the trial date. Whether that date holds under a new judge is not yet known.
Maduro and Flores are presumed innocent unless and until a court convicts them. Our Venezuela coverage will follow each step.
What Prediction Markets Say
Polymarket is a platform where users trade real money on outcomes. At about 1:10 p.m. ET on 28 October 2026, its market called Maduro guilty of all counts priced Yes at 31.0%.
About US$133,000 has been traded on that market. A second market, on whether Maduro is released from custody by 31 December 2026, priced Yes at 4.7%.
These prices are bets, not polls, and they say nothing about guilt or innocence. They show only how traders weigh the case at one moment.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What Is Not Known
The court has not confirmed a cause of death, and we will not speculate. The place of death was also not given.
It is not known which judge will receive the Maduro case. Nor is it clear whether the June 2027 trial date will change.
It is also unknown whether hearing dates or pending motions will be moved. No schedule changes had been announced at the time of writing.
What It Means for US Readers
The case is a US prosecution in a federal court in Manhattan. A change of judge is therefore handled inside the American court system.
The next step to watch is the name of the new judge. Any change to the June 2027 trial date would come from the court, and none has been announced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Alvin Hellerstein?
Alvin K. Hellerstein was a US federal judge in Manhattan. Born in New York in 1933, he was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1998 and took senior status in 2011.
When did Judge Hellerstein die?
He died on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, aged 92. The court has not confirmed a cause, and no place of death was given.
Who will handle the Maduro case now?
The case will be assigned by random draw among the court’s judges. The new judge has not yet been named.
Will the Maduro trial date change?
Earlier planning set the trial for June 2027 in Manhattan. Whether the date changes after the judge’s death is not yet known.
Sources: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (announcement via court spokesperson), Federal Judicial Center (fjc.gov), The Rio Times reporting, Polymarket.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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