U.S. says Venezuela can pay for Nicolás Maduro and his wife's defense

VenezuelaU.S. says Venezuela can pay for Nicolás Maduro and his wife's defenseThe move clears a major hurdle in the case, removes the risk of lengthy delays over funding disputes and avoids the possibility of U.S. taxpayers footing the bill for his attorneys.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in Caracas in 2025.Federico Parra / AFP - Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 25, 2026, 9:40 AM EDTBy Adam Reiss and Mirna AlsharifFederal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York say the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued amended licenses authorizing defense attorneys for Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores de Maduro to be paid by the Venezuelan government. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The move clears a major hurdle in the case, eliminating the risk of lengthy delays over funding disputes and the possibility of U.S. taxpayers footing the bill for their defense.This development comes a month after a hearing where prosecutors argued Maduro had “plundered Venezuela’s wealth and should not be able to use its money for legal fees. Maduro’s attorney, Barry Pollock, countered that the U.S. government was improperly his client's ability to fund his legal defense. “He is entitled to use those resources to defend himself,” Pollack said. Judge Alvin Hellerstein appeared amenable to the defense argument, suggesting he could dismiss the case if Maduro was unable to secure funds for his legal representation.In a joint letter filed late Friday, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton outlined strict conditions governing any such funds: they must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot derive from restricted foreign government deposit accounts. The government maintained that the newly issued licenses resolve the dispute that had prompted the defendants to seek dismissal, and the defense has since withdrawn t...