Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro And Wife Cilia Flores Have Pled Not Guilty In New York Federal Court [VIDEO]

Many Americans woke up Saturday morning in shock after the breaking news that the U.S. struck Venezuela overnight and captured its long-serving President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, President Donald Trump said early Saturday morning after months of pressuring him over accusations of drug-running and illegitimacy in power.  President Donald Trump said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the Country” early Saturday morning, confirming a “large scale strike” by the U.S. that drew quick condemnation and concern from across the globe.  Maduro was taken to New York, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and his wife would face charges after an indictment in New York where Bondi vowed in a social media post that the couple would “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty Monday in a New York federal court to a series of drug trafficking and weapons charges.  The indictment unsealed over the weekend accuses the couple of narco‑terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine and weapons‑related offenses, with prosecutors alleging involvement in a large‑scale narcotics network.  Maduro, speaking through an interpreter, adamantly maintained his innocence in the courtroom.

“I’m innocent. I’m not guilty — I’m a decent man,”…“still president of my country.” 

Nicolás Maduro is being represented by Barry J. Pollack, a leading trial attorney in the U.S. whose high-profile clients include Julian Assange and Enron executives, while his wife Cilia Flores is being defended by Mark Donnelly, a Houston-based attorney that specializes in white collar criminal defense.  If convicted, Maduro and his wife could face life in prison.

See video below