Overview
- Barry Pollack, who appeared at the arraignment, told the court that Nicolás Maduro does not know Bruce Fein and never authorized him to act.
- Fein says people in Maduro’s inner circle asked for his help and, despite no direct contact with the detainee, he requested a chambers interview to determine counsel.
- Judge Alvin Hellerstein initially approved Fein’s appearance, then received Pollack’s motion to strike it, and prosecutors have not taken a position.
- Public defender David Wikstrom said he will not continue on the case as Maduro remains held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center with a hearing set for mid-March.
- Pollack has signaled challenges to the legality of Maduro’s capture in Caracas and to U.S. jurisdiction as the narco-trafficking and weapons case proceeds.