The federal judge who delivered the landmark 2023 judgement on the regulatory status of <a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/xrp" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">XRP</a> in the U.S., is getting&nbsp;one of the most high-profile criminal cases in the country.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/u-s-judge-behind-landmark-xrp-ruling-deals-fresh-blow" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Analisa Torres</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-assigned-to-nicolas-maduros-criminal-case-dead-at-92/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">will now take over</a>&nbsp;narcoterrorism and drug trafficking&nbsp;case against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Torres is taking over the case after the death of Alvin K. Hellerstein, the&nbsp;Manhattan&nbsp;federal judge presiding over the case.
Hellerstein, who <a href="https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/alvin-k-hellerstein-the-federal-judge-who-handled-trump-maduro-911-cases-dies-at-92-death-new-york-manhattan-world-trade-center-911-former-venezuelan-president-nicolas-maduro-drug-trafficking-narcoterrorism-president-donald-trump" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">died</a> at 92 on Oct. 28, presided over several landmark cases, including lawsuits stemming from the <a href="https://www.wxyz.com/obituaries/alvin-k-hellerstein-a-federal-judge-who-handled-trump-maduro-and-9-11-cases-dies-at-92" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">9/11</a> attacks, a proposed $19 million settlement between Harvey <a href="https://fortune.com/2020/07/14/harvey-weinstein-settlement-rejected-federal-judge" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Weinstein</a> and his accusers that he rejected, and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/05/venezuela-maduro-court-trump.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Maduro’s</a> prosecution.
<a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/policy/expert-says-u-s-midterm-affects-xrp-not-bitcoin" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Related: Expert says U.S. midterm affects XRP, not Bitcoin</a>
<h2 id="understanding-torres-xrp-ruling">Understanding Torres' XRP ruling&nbsp;</h2>
A federal judge since 2013, Torres is best known within the crypto industry for her XRP ruling in 2013 which gave a certain degree of legitimacy to the cryptocurrency.
The controversial case began in December 2020 when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) <a href="https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020-338" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">sued</a><a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/ripple-backed-xrp-treasury-moves-closer-to-nasdaq-debut" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Ripple Labs</a> for offering unregistered securities to investors via XRP sale. The SEC said XRP is a security, Ripple countered it's just a digital currency.&nbsp;
The legal battle dragged on for years and&nbsp;became a symbol of the crypto industry's fight for legitimacy in the U.S. The industry accused the SEC under the Joe Biden administration was following an "enforcement by regulation" model instead of introducing crypto legislation.
Judge Torres <a href="https://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/2023-07/SEC%20vs%20Ripple%207-13-23.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">delivered</a> a landmark judgement in July 2023, ruling XRP isn't a security during programmatic sales on crypto exchanges but it is a security when sold to institutional clients.
Though both parties gained, each decided to appeal the ruling and the case only <a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/policy/sec-and-ripple-case-is-officially-over" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reached a settlement</a> in August 2025 after Donald Trump returned to the White House.
<figure>
 <figcaption>
 Understanding Ripple, XRP and XRPL (3:17)
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="a-u-s-soldier-s-bet-on-maduro-operation">A U.S. soldier's bet on Maduro operation</h2>
With&nbsp;Torres taking over the Maduro case, it's worth underlining its crypto connection.
In April, the Department of Justice (DoJ)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/u-s-soldier-arrested-as-venezuela-ghost-returns-amid-iran-ceasefire" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">arrested and charged</a> a U.S. soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, for allegedly using non-public information to bet on the U.S. operation to abduct Maduro.
The soldier engaged in insider trading as he&nbsp;was involved in the planning and execution of the operation,&nbsp;the department alleged.&nbsp;He used classified information regarding the operation to place $33,000 in 13 contracts on Polymarket and <a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/policy/mysterious-traders-400k-profit-on-maduros-ouster-triggers-swift-action" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">pocket</a> $400,000, the&nbsp;DoJ further alleged.
After winning the bets, the soldier&nbsp;withdrew the funds, converted them to a bridged version of USDC, transferred them to a foreign crypto vault, and started to move them into a brokerage account, as per the DoJ.
Polymarket is a popular crypto-based prediction market platform that lets users buy and sell shares representing the likelihood of the outcome of future events, such as elections, military conflicts, or sports events.
1789 Capital, the VC fund where the president's son Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, is an <a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/investing/trump-jr-s-venture-fund-reportedly-invests-in-polymarket" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">investor</a> in Polymarket. Trump Jr. has also joined the prediction market platform's advisory board.
<h3 id="popular-on-thestreet-roundtable">Popular on TheStreet Roundtable</h3>
<ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/binance-cites-1b-spacex-stake-after-elon-musk-mocks-hack" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Binance major shareholder cites $1B SpaceX stake after Elon Musk mocks hack</a></li>
 <li><a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/coinbase-ceo-could-sell-8-2-million-shares" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Coinbase CEO could sell 8.2 million shares</a></li>
 <li><a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/okx-founder-says-no-exchange-is-absolutely-safe" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">OKX founder says no exchange is absolutely safe</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="the-roundtable-100">The Roundtable 100</h2>
If you follow our market coverage, don’t miss the <a href="https://roundtable100.com/tab/rankings" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Roundtable 100</a>. Updated every Friday, it's a power ranking of the 100 most investable tech stocks, including digital assets. Check out the latest <a href="https://roundtable100.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">RTB 100</a> rankings at <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">roundtable100.com</a>.
<a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/hyperliquid-climbs-roundtable-100-as-ice-plans-market" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Related: Hyperliquid climbs Roundtable 100 as ICE plans market</a>

U.S. judge behind landmark XRP ruling takes over Maduro case

Table of Contents

TheStreet Roundtable

Other articles published on Nov 3, 2026

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!