January 5, 2026
RED FM News Desk
Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is set to make his first appearance Monday in a U.S. courtroom, facing narco-terrorism charges that the Trump administration cited to justify his capture and transfer to New York.
Maduro and his wife are expected to appear before a judge at noon for a brief but mandatory legal proceeding that is likely to mark the start of a lengthy court fight over whether he can be tried in the United States.
The couple was transported under armed guard early Monday from a Brooklyn detention facility to a Manhattan courthouse. A motorcade left the jail around 7:15 a.m., travelling to a nearby athletic field where Maduro boarded a waiting helicopter. The aircraft crossed New York Harbour and landed at a Manhattan heliport, where Maduro, appearing to limp, was transferred into an armoured vehicle.
Within minutes, a convoy of law enforcement vehicles entered a secured garage at the courthouse complex, located just steps from the building where Donald Trump was convicted in 2024 on falsifying business records charges.
As a criminal defendant in the U.S. legal system, Maduro is entitled to the same rights as any other accused person, including the right to a jury trial before New York residents. However, his case is unusual given his former role as a head of state.
Maduro’s legal team is expected to challenge the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution in the U.S. under international law because of his status as a sovereign leader.
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