The lawyer for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who pleaded not guilty Monday, January 5, to narco-terrorism charges in a New York court, is Barry Pollack, a high-profile lawyer known for defending Julian Assange in the ‘Wikileaks’ case.
Pollack appeared today as defense counsel in the Southern District of New York court where the U.S. government’s case against Maduro is being prosecuted, amid great media expectation after his capture last January 3 in a nighttime operation in Caracas and subsequent transfer to the country.
Who is Barry Pollack?
BREAKING:
Maduro has hired prominent lawyer Barry Pollack, who brings more than 3 decades of legal experience, to lead his defense in a high-profile narco-terrorism case. pic.twitter.com/BuXc0i5Y9f
– Current Report (@Currentreport1) January 5, 2026
At this first hearing, Pollack said that he “will not be requesting bail at this time.”
But he questioned the “legality of the military abduction” of his client, stating that he is the “head of a sovereign state and is entitled to the privilege” of his office, according to PBS.
The attorney has extensive credentials detailed on his firm’s website, Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler .
Among them, the plea bargain of Assange, accused of espionage for publishing classified information on Wikileaks, which resulted in his release.
Two other successful representations he highlights were those that led to the exoneration of a former executive of energy giant Enron.
This in the wake of the company’s fraud scandal and a man named Martin Tankleff, wrongly accused of killing his parents at the age of 17.
With more than 30 years of experience, Pollack is a past president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
He regularly handles criminal cases involving financial crime, corruption and national security, as well as civil cases, including organized crime.
Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, accused of collaborating in the crimes she is accused of, has a different lawyer, Mark Donnelly.
Donnelly is co-founder of the firm Parker Sanchez & Donnelly and has worked 12 years at the Department of Justice and eight years as a Houston county prosecutor.
Donnelly, his firm’s website notes, worked on the investigation and impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for alleged bribery and abuse of power in 2023, in which he was exonerated, although federal investigations continue.
Filed under: Who is Barry Pollack
With information from EFE
