Who is Barry Pollack, Maduro’s lawyer with experience in high-profile cases such as the “WikiLeaks” case?

After his capture in Venezuela by the Trump administration and his subsequent transfer to New York, Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, made their initial appearance Monday in federal court in Manhattan. As the legal proceedings move forward, the former Venezuelan leader is relying on a seasoned American trial lawyer for his defense: Barry Pollack.

Who is Barry Pollack?

Pollack has built a reputation handling some of the most sensitive international criminal cases of the past several decades. Among the most notable was the WikiLeaks case, in which he represented founder Julian Assange.

Pollack played a key role in negotiating Assange’s plea agreement. Assange had been charged with espionage for publishing classified information through WikiLeaks. The deal ultimately paved the way for his release, a result that drew global attention and underscored Pollack’s standing as a skilled negotiator in politically charged cases.

A long résumé in elite legal circles

Pollack is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a member of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers, and a former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He has more than 30 years of experience representing individuals, including corporate executives and senior government officials, as well as corporations and other organizations.

His career includes sensitive, high-profile trials and investigations involving business crimes, public corruption, and national security. According to Benchmark Litigation, his work has also covered antitrust violations, fraud in public contracting and securities markets, tax cases, health care fraud, and complex banking and financial matters.

What charges does Nicolás Maduro face?

The formal indictment released by the U.S. Department of Justice alleges that Maduro “transported shipments of cocaine under the protection of Venezuelan law enforcement forces.”

U.S. prosecutors also accuse him of “providing Venezuelan diplomatic passports to drug traffickers,” facilitating diplomatic cover for aircraft that allegedly “repatriated drug trafficking proceeds from Mexico to Venezuela,” and allowing “cocaine-fueled corruption” to flourish “for his own benefit, for the benefit of members of the regime, and for the benefit of his family members.”

Maduro has been formally charged with four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Maduro pleads not guilty

During his initial appearance in Manhattan federal court, Nicolás Maduro declared his innocence and insisted that he remains Venezuela’s president.

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

Pollack indicated that the defense may argue Maduro is entitled to immunity from prosecution as the head of a sovereign state. He also raised questions about the circumstances of his client’s detention, stating there are “serious issues regarding the legality of his military seizure.”

U.S. stance on Venezuela’s leadership

The Trump administration has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of Venezuela’s 2024 election results, which the country’s National Electoral Council said were won by Maduro. After the vote, the State Department stated that it did not recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s president and instead recognized Edmundo González Urrutia as president-elect.

Despite Maduro’s arrest, however, the U.S. government has not endorsed the opposition leader to assume office, nor has it publicly backed María Corina Machado. Following Maduro’s detention, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president of Venezuela.

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