<p class="speakable">The Trump administration has moved to block the Venezuelan government from covering the legal expenses of former Venezuelan President <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/person/nicolas-maduro" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Nicolás Maduro</a> as he fights federal drug trafficking and weapons charges in New York, according to a court filing from his attorney.</p><p class="speakable">Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/whos-who-maduro-case-judge-prosecutors-defense-lawyers-now-facing-off" rel="noopener" target="_blank">pleaded not guilty in federal court</a> in New York on Jan. 5 to drug trafficking and weapons charges, days after American forces captured them at the presidential palace in Venezuela.</p><p>In a letter to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/judiciary/federal-courts" rel="noopener" target="_blank">U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein</a>, who is overseeing the case in the Southern District of New York, Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, said the U.S. was preventing the Venezuelan government from covering his client's legal fees.</p><p>"The government of Venezuela has an obligation to pay Mr. Maduro’s fees. Mr. Maduro has a legitimate expectation that the government of Venezuela would do so, and Mr. Maduro cannot otherwise afford counsel," Pollack wrote.</p><p>In the letter, dated Feb. 20, Pollack argued that under "Venezuelan law and custom, the government of Venezuela pays the expenses of the President and First Lady."</p><p>Pollack said that Maduro and the Venezuelan government were <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/finance/sanctions" rel="noopener" target="_blank">subjected to sanctions</a> by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and his legal counsel would need to be granted a license to represent him and be paid.</p><p>While Pollack said <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/environment/regulation" rel="noopener" target="_blank">OFAC granted licenses</a> for both Maduro and Flores on Jan. 9, Maduro's license was amended "without explanation" to not allow the Venezuelan government to pay for his defense costs.</p><p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/maduro-ally-alex-saab-arrested-joint-us-venezuelan-operation-official-says" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>MADURO ALLY ALEX SAAB ARRESTED IN JOINT US-VENEZUELAN OPERATION, OFFICIAL SAYS</strong></a></p><p>Flores' license was not impacted, according to Pollack.</p><p>Pollack said that OFAC is "interfering with Mr. Maduro’s ability to retain counsel" and violating his <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/judiciary/individual-rights" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Sixth Amendment right to counsel</a> of his choice.</p><p>Maduro's attorney said OFAC has not responded to his request to reinstate the original license and threatened to take legal action if it continued to do so.</p><p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rubio-defends-us-assault-venezuela-calls-out-reporter-trying-start-fight" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>RUBIO DEFENDS US ASSAULT ON VENEZUELA, CALLS OUT REPORTER FOR TRYING TO START A FIGHT</strong></a></p><p>"If OFAC fails to act on the request to reinstate the original license, or denies that request, Mr. Maduro will file a formal motion in the coming days seeking relief from the Court," he wrote.</p><p>The U.S. military conducted an operation to capture Maduro in Caracas on Jan. 3. He was flown to New York, where he is <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/from-palace-prison-venezuelan-strongman-maduro-locked-troubled-brooklyn-jail" rel="noopener" target="_blank">being held in a federal jail</a>.</p><p>Maduro was <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/dea-zeroes-cartel-suns-bosses-maduro-hauled-us-narco-case" rel="noopener" target="_blank">charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy</a>, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.</p><p><a href="https://foxnews.onelink.me/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP</strong></a></p><p>Flores faces three charges: cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.</p><p>Fox News Digital reached out to the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/education/administration" rel="noopener" target="_blank">U.S. Attorney’s Office</a> for the Southern District of New York and the Treasury Department for comment.</p>