Federal judge Alvin Hellerstein, who presided over the trial of Nicolás Maduro, died at age 92.

What it means

Judge Alvin Hellerstein, a senior U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York, has died at age 92. He was presiding over the high-profile criminal trial of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on drug trafficking charges, and had also handled other notable cases involving Donald Trump, the September 11 attacks, and the Archegos fund collapse. His death was confirmed by the court on October 28, 2026.

Accuracy & sourcesHeadline only

The claim is well-sourced: multiple major news outlets (Reuters, NYT, AFP, CBS) report the death, citing a spokesperson for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the primary source. The reporting is consistent and authoritative, though the highlight itself is a secondary aggregation without a direct primary link.

How new

This is genuinely new, breaking news from October 28, 2026.

Go deeper

• Politico (via Google News) — first to publish