Federal judge who oversaw Maduro, Trump cases dead at 92
Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who was overseeing the case against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, died at the age of 92 on Tuesday.Hellerstein had served as a U.S. District Judge for...
By Fox News · Fox News
Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who was overseeing the case against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro , died at the age of 92 on Tuesday. Hellerstein had served as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York since 1998, after being appointed by then-President Bill Clinton. He had also presided over President Donald Trump's attempts to move his New York criminal case from state courts to federal courts. The court said Hellerstein died of natural causes just short of his 93rd birthday. TRUMP PICKS JAMES MCDONALD TO LEAD POWERFUL SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK AFTER JAY CLAYTON'S DEPARTURE Hellerstein earned his J.D. and bachelor's degree from Columbia University, according to the Federal Judicial Center. He served in the U.S. Army, JAG Corps from 1957-1960 before 38 years of private practice prior to his judicial appointment. DENVER MAN’S ESCAPE EXPOSES CHILLING TREN DE ARAGUA KIDNAPPING PLOT THAT LANDS TRIO IN PRISON A new judge is set to be randomly assigned to handle the Maduro case following Hellerstein's passing. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores , are both charged with conspiracy to commit torture against Americans and others to stay in power, according to a superseding indictment filed in early October . Maduro's government, according to the indictment, "presided over a system of repression that relied on violence against political opposition, arbitrary detention, and the torture of detainees, including United States citizens." The torture included "electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture, such as threats to harm and kill victims' families, including children," the indictment read. MADURO ALLY DEPORTED TO US OVER ALLEGED BILLION-DOLLAR CORRUPTION SCHEME TIED TO OIL, FOOD PROGRAM The charge carries a maximum of life imprisonment if any of the alleged torture resulted in death, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if not. The indictment alleges Maduro…