Leroy Barnes
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| Leroy Barnes | |
|---|---|
| Image:LeroyBarnes.png | |
| Born | October 15 1933 Harlem, New York |
| Other names | Nicky |
| Occupation | Former drug lord |
Leroy Antonio "Nicky" Barnes (born. October 15, 1933) is a former Harlem, New York drug dealer who at one time, along with Frank Lucas and Guy Fisher, was one of the biggest heroin dealers in New York.[1] Barnes was dubbed "Mr. Untouchable" by The New York Times.[2] Barnes was eventually prosecuted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
After several years in prison, Barnes turned State's evidence and testified against Fisher and others in order to reduce his sentence. He was released from prison in August, 1998.
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[edit] Early career
Leroy Barnes was sent to prison in 1965 for low level drug dealing. While in prison he met Colombo crime family member Joe "Crazy Joe" Gallo. It is believed Gallo passed on his knowledge of how to run a drug trafficking organization to Barnes and asked Barnes to assemble the necessary personnel. With a lawyer provided by Gallo, Barnes' conviction was overturned and he returned to New York City. Once home, Barnes began to assemble his personnel and began cutting and packaging low-quality heroin.
[edit] Rise to drug lord
By 1976 Barnes' operation spread throughout all of New York State and into Pennsylvania and Canada. His right-hand man was one known by the name of Juan "JDOT" Santos. Not much is known of him because he is still at large and free. All Barnes says is that he is "sitting on heavy dough". According to DEA records, Barnes' operation in 1976 consisted of seven lieutenants, who each controlled a dozen mid level distributors, who supplied upwards of forty street level dealers each. During this time Barnes was given the name Mr. Untouchable, after successfully beating numerous charges and arrests. It is believed while under surveillance Barnes would often make pointless stops and go on high speed chases with little purpose other than to aggravate those following him.[3]
At the height of his dealing, Barnes' net worth was estimated at several million dollars. Barnes set up front companies to protect some of his assets, such as numerous cars, which appeared to be rented through those companies. The DEA eventually discovered the true ownership of the companies and seized the cars, including a Mercedes-Benz, a Citroën SM Maserati, several Thunderbirds, Lincoln Continentals, and Cadillacs. A New York Times article estimated Barnes had purchased approximately 300 suits, 100 pairs of shoes, and 50 leather coats.[4]
He strengthened his power by creating alliances with other members of organized crime, in a group he referred to as The Council.
[edit] Arrest
Barnes was stopped for a traffic violation and was not carrying identification. The two arresting officers did not know who they had caught until they brought him into the police station. He was prosecuted for drug-related crimes and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on January 19, 1978. The chief prosecutor in that case was Robert Fiske, then the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He was assisted by two younger attorneys, Thomas Sear and Robert Mazur.
According to Barnes, while in prison, he discovered that his assets were not being taken care of, The Council stopped paying his attorneys' fees, and one of his fellow council members, Guy Fisher, was having an affair with his wife.[5] The Council had a rule that no council member would sleep with another council member's wife. In response, Barnes became an informant. He forwarded a list of 109 names, five of which were council members, along with his wife's name, implicating them all in illegal activities related to the heroin trade. Barnes helped to indict 44 other traffickers, 16 of whom were ultimately convicted.[5] In this testimony, he implicated himself in eight murders.
[edit] Release and life after prison
After Barnes cooperated with the government by working as an informant, Rudolph Giuliani sought a reversal of Barnes' life sentence, which was shortened to a 30-year term. In 2003, his cooperation with prosecutors was rewarded with an early release from prison. Barnes and his former competitor, Frank Lucas, sat down with New York magazine's Mark Jacobson recently for a historic conversation between men who have not spoken to each other in 30 years. [6] Now in his 70s, Barnes is part of the Witness Protection Program.
Barnes wrote Mr. Untouchable, a book about his life, in 2007 and appears in a documentary about his gang life entitled Mr. Untouchable.[7].
[edit] Media references
- Barnes is portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the 2007 film American Gangster.[8]
- In the movie New Jack City the character Nino Brown is loosely based on Barnes.[9]
- It also rumored the 1973 Jim Croce song "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was inspired by Barnes.[10][11][12]
- Barnes is mentioned in several rap songs, including:
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ http://www.streetgangs.com/movies/guyfisher.html
- ^ http://www.mixunit.com/guyfisherstory.html (Dead link as of Sept. 4, 2007)
- ^ http://www.dea.gov/pubs/history/1975-1980.html
- ^ http://www.dea.gov/pubs/history/1975-1980.html
- ^ a b "Telling Tales;Mad, mad Leroy Barnes," TIME Magazine, January 30, 1984, p.16
- ^ "Lords of Dopetown". New York Magazine, 5 November 2007.
- ^ http://hdnetfilms.com/mruntouchable/index.html
- ^ http://www.popmatters.com/pm/news/article/47007/after-swearing-off-comedies-cuba-gooding-is-back/
- ^ http://mrsgrapevine.com/?cat=25/
- ^ http://www.avclub.com/content/node/58844
- ^ http://www.ruggedland.com/mruntouch.html
- ^ http://panachereport.com/channels/black_underworld/index.html
[edit] External links
- Leroy (Nicky) Barnes - Barnes Free At Last by Jerry Capeci
- Lords of Dopetown article by Mark Jacobson New York magazine
