Nicolás Maduro Hires Assange Lawyer for Criminal Defense

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at the Wall Street Helipad ahead of his court appearance in New York on Jan. 5.Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

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By Benjamin Penn and Eric Killelea

January 5, 2026 at 4:09 PM UTC

Updated on

January 5, 2026 at 5:38 PM UTC

Ousted Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro has hired prominent criminal defense lawyer Barry Pollack, who long represented Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, as his counsel in Manhattan criminal proceedings.

Pollack, a veteran Washington trial lawyer, filed a notice of appearance Monday as Maduro’s attorney in the Southern District of New York narco-terrorism case, ahead of a hearing scheduled for noon.