U.S. Sanctions and OFAC Policy

Maduro’s lawyer says the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) revoked a Jan. 9 license that would have allowed Venezuela to pay his U.S. criminal-defense fees — a license Pollack says was granted then withdrawn less than three hours later while a separate license for Cilia Flores remained intact, according to a Feb. 20 court‑filed email. Pollack argues the revocation interferes with Maduro’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel of his choice because he cannot otherwise afford representation and had an expectation that Venezuela would pay, and CBS reports the dispute is entangled with U.S. recognition of an alternative Venezuelan president and the Trump administration’s broader pressure campaign that could affect head‑of‑state immunity arguments.

Venezuela has approved a broad amnesty that could free hundreds detained for political reasons. Separately, U.S. sanctions enforcement has complicated Nicolás Maduro’s criminal defense: defense attorney Barry Pollack says OFAC initially authorized Venezuelan government payment for Maduro’s counsel but then amended the license to bar such funding, and he has asked OFAC to reinstate the original license and warned he may seek court relief, arguing the restriction impairs Maduro’s Sixth Amendment rights.