Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—On Monday, Bloomberg reported that Jason A. Richman, a senior US federal prosecutor who led the case against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady and National Assembly Deputy Cilia Flores, has left the New York prosecutor’s office. His departure comes as the defense challenges Washington’s authority to prosecute the Venezuelan head of state, kidnapped alongside Flores during the January 3 US military aggression.
Richman served as co-chief of the National Security Unit at the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. According to Bloomberg Law, Manhattan US Attorney Jamie McDonald informed the court that Richman’s employment ended on September 25, 2026.
The court was asked to remove Richman from the case. The reasons for his departure and his next professional position have not been publicly disclosed.
Diario VEA described the departure as a significant loss for the US prosecution, while Bloomberg’s original report also identified the loss of an experienced national security lawyer ahead of the trial.
The high-profile trial remains scheduled to begin on June 1, 2027, before US District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein. President Maduro and Flores have both pleaded not guilty. No change to the trial date has been reported in connection with Richman’s departure.
Defense challenges US jurisdiction
The prosecutor’s departure comes amid a challenge to the legal foundations of Washington’s case. On September 2, President Maduro’s lawyers sought dismissal on the grounds that he enjoys immunity as the head of a sovereign state. Flores filed a separate request invoking immunity as well.
“Heads of state are exempt from the criminal process of any national court but their own,” President Maduro’s legal team argued. The defense maintained that this protection derives from the equality and independence of sovereign states, not Washington’s willingness to recognize a particular president. Other US legal experts similarly argue that diplomatic recognition does not determine a head of state’s immunity, adding that President Maduro was recognized as Venezuela’s head of state when most of the alleged acts cited in the indictment occurred.
The lawyers also identified a contradiction in the US position: Washington recognizes Delcy Rodríguez as acting president, although her authority stems from President Maduro’s presidency, which US officials have refused to recognize. They additionally challenged the US jurisdictional basis for the narcoterrorism conspiracy count. Hellerstein is scheduled to hear arguments on the dismissal requests in November.
US sanctions previously obstructed Venezuela’s payment of the presidential couple’s legal expenses. Subsequent Treasury licenses allowed those payments, and President Maduro withdrew the dismissal argument based on that obstruction. The earlier dispute illustrates how Washington’s sanctions reached even the financing of the defense by Delcy Rodriguez’ government in US courts.
Flores seeks release as health deteriorates
Meanwhile, Flores’ lawyers renewed the request for release on bail on September 30, reporting that her health had worsened during her imprisonment at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center.
As reported by Orinoco Tribune, the defense described episodes of ventricular tachycardia and prolonged chest pressure, significant weight loss, and the loss of two molars. Her lawyers said her heart condition had been stable before the kidnapping and reported that she arrived at the prison with injuries sustained during the US assault.
The defense rejected the prosecution’s flight-risk argument, citing her age, cardiac condition, and possible need for an invasive procedure.
The presidential couple’s imprisonment followed the January 3 bombing and invasion of Venezuela ordered by Donald Trump. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello subsequently reported that over 100 people had been killed. President Maduro and Flores were forcibly taken from Venezuela to New York.
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National Assembly Deputy Nicolás Maduro Guerra has denounced the attack as a crime against humanity and described President Maduro and Flores as prisoners of war in an operation aimed at seizing Venezuela’s natural resources. His denunciation positions the prosecution within the context of the military aggression against Venezuela.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
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