Flores pleads not guilty

Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, also pleaded not guilty and said she is "not guilty, completely innocent" when asked for her plea.

Hellerstein advised the defendants that as citizens of Venezuela, they have a right to access the Venezuelan consulate. Maduro replied: “Yes, we understand it and we would like to have such consular visits.”

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.