Nicolás Maduro declares ‘I am innocent’ and ‘still president’ in Manhattan court appearance

NEW YORK — Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, made their initial appearance in Manhattan federal court on Monday following their capture by U.S. forces in a military operation in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, with Maduro claiming, “I am innocent.”

Maduro told the court he is “still president of my country” and his attorney signaled they may try to assert Maduro is entitled to protection from prosecution as head of a sovereign state.

There are “issues about the legality of his military abduction,” his attorney Barry Pollack said.

Maduro and Flores — who are being held in federal custody at MDC-Brooklyn — appeared in front of Judge Alvin Hellerstein at noon.  

When he entered the courtroom, Maduro greeted the spectators, saying, “Buenos dias.” Maduro was escorted into the courtroom in shackles and orange jail slippers and sat two seats away from his wife.

The couple wore headphones to hear the court-provided interpreter. 

When Maduro took his seat next to Pollack, he immediately began writing on a notepad. Flores sat next to her attorney, Mark Donnelly.

Maduro stood before the judge.

“Are you, sir, Nicolas Maduro Moros?” Hellerstein asked.

Maduro declared, through an interpreter, “I am the president of Venezuela.” He added, “I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela,” before the judge interrupted and told him there would be time later to challenge his custody.

Maduro then affirmed he is who the judge said he is.

Hellerstein read Maduro the standard rights.

Maduro said, through an interpreter, “I did not know of these rights. Your Honor is informing me of them now.”

“How do you plead to the indictment?” Hellerstein asked.

Maduro responded, “I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he believes Maduro is not the legitimate president of the country. That was also the position of the Biden administration, which offered a $25 million reward for his arrest in January 2025.

“I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything mentioned here,” Maduro responded, through an interpreter, when asked to repeat his plea to the charges.

Hellerstein then turned to Maduro’s wife.

“I am Cilia Flores,” she said. “I am first lady of the Republic of Venezuela.”

Hellerstein interjected, saying, “The purpose today is just to ask you who you are.” The judge then explained her rights to remain silent and to be represented by an attorney.

“Yes I understand and I’ve heard it,” Flores said.

Asked how she pleaded to the three counts of the indictment she faces. Flores responded, “Not guilty — completely innocent.”

“As citizens of the state of Venezuela, you have the right to consult with consular officials,” Hellerstein informed Maduro and Flores.

“We understand it and we would like to have such consular visits,” Maduro said.

Maduro took notes during the proceeding and he asked the judge for permission to keep them. 

Maduro and Flores did not ask for bail. The judge said he is open to receiving a bail application in the future, but the couple will otherwise remain detained at MDC-Brooklyn.

Donnelly said Flores was injured during the military operation and requested a medical briefing. A bruise was evident on Flores’ head.

“She sustained significant injuries. There’s worry she may have a fracture or severe bruising on her ribs,” Donnelly said.

As Maduro was being led from the courtroom, someone in the gallery stood and shouted in Spanish, in part, “You will pay in the name of Venezuela.”

Maduro stopped and responded in Spanish, “I am the elected president. I am a prisoner of war. I will be free.” 

The next court date is set for March 17.

Before Monday’s hearing, dueling groups of protesters gathered across the street from the courthouse. One group held signs urging President Donald Trump to “Free President Maduro,” and the other supported of his capture.

Maduro and Flores are among six defendants named in a four-count superseding indictment that accused them of conspiring with violent, dangerous drug traffickers for the last 25 years. Maduro has long denied all the allegations. 

Maduro’s son, two high-ranking Venezuelan officials and an alleged leader of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang are the other defendants.

Trump said on Saturday that the U.S. “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela” in which Maduro and Flores were “captured and flown out of the Country.”

Trump said the operation was carried out in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement. Members of Congress said the military, which sources said included the elite Delta Force, was in place to support that law enforcement operation.

In a move that alarmed some observers, Trump, who campaigned on “America First” and against foreign entanglements, said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago the U.S. would “run” Venezuela for an unspecified “period of time.”

He said a team comprised of some of his Cabinet officials along with a local team in Venezuela would be “running the country” because there is “nobody to take over.”

“We’ll run it properly. We’ll run it professionally. We’ll have the greatest oil companies in the world go in and invest billions and billions of dollars and take out money, use that money in Venezuela, and the biggest beneficiary are going to be the people of Venezuela,” Trump said.

On Monday night in Washington, a classified briefing was held from Trump administration officials to congressional leaders on what happened in Caracas.

“Our understanding is that this is an operation that only required notice to Congress and not prior authorization,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Johnson says he was notified hours after the military operation began.

House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries insisted it did need congressional approval.

“Why are we engaging in this kind of aggressive military behavior on behalf of oil companies that make billions of dollars of profit each and every year?” he said.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as interim leader to lead the country after what the Venezuelan Supreme Court described as Maduro’s “kidnapping.” 

Rodriguez demanded Maduro’s return and vowed to defend Venezuela against American aggression.

On Sunday, Rodriguez posted a statement to social media in which she appeared to soften her tone, inviting “the U.S. government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence.”

Trump told reporters on Sunday that the U.S. is “in charge” of Venezuela.

The president said he had not yet spoken to Rodriguez. Asked if he wanted to, Trump said, “At the right time, I will.”

ABC News’ Meghan Mistry and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.