NEW YORK
A federal judge on Monday rejected a bid by Bruce Fein, a former high-ranking Justice Department official, to insert himself into the legal defense of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, ruling the lawyer had “no legal basis” to join the team.
Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein initially approved Fein’s application to assist in Maduro’s drug trafficking case but reversed his decision after Maduro’s court-appointed attorney, Barry Pollack, formally objected.
Fein, who served as an associate deputy attorney general under President Ronald Reagan, had claimed in filings that unnamed individuals within Maduro’s inner circle sought his help and that the ex-leader “had expressed a desire” for his assistance.
In a written order, Hellerstein stated that only Maduro himself has the authority to hire additional counsel, not unidentified associates. The judge also denied Fein’s unusual request to summon Maduro to court to confirm his wishes.
“If Maduro wishes to retain Fein, he has the ability to do so,” Hellerstein wrote. “Fein cannot appoint himself to represent Maduro.”
By James Kisoo
