Nicky Barnes

For the Australian water polo player, seeNicky Barnes (water polo).

Nicky Barnes
AnNYPDmugshot of Nicky Barnes
Born	Leroy Nicholas Barnes (1933-10-15)October 15, 1933 New York City,New York, U.S.
Died	June 18, 2012(2012-06-18)(aged 78)
Other names	Nicky Barnes; "Mr. Untouchable"
Allegiance	The Council
Conviction(s)	Drug trafficking (1978)
Criminal penalty	Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole(1978)

Leroy Nicholas Barnes(October 15, 1933 – June 18, 2012) was an Americancrime boss,active inNew York Cityduring the 1970s.

In 1972, Barnes formedThe Council,a seven-manAfrican-Americanorganized crimesyndicate that controlled a significant part of theherointrade in theHarlemarea of New York City.Barnes led The Council into an internationaldrug traffickingring, in partnership with theItalian-American Mafia,until his arrest in 1977. Barnes was sentenced tolife imprisonment,eventually becoming a federalinformantthat led to the collapse of The Council in 1977. Barnes was living under theUnited States Marshals ServiceinWitness protectionat the time of his death, and hisobituaryappeared inThe New York Timesseven years after his death.

In 2007, Barnes released a book,Mr. Untouchable,written with Tom Folsom, and adocumentary DVD of the same titleabout his life.

Early life and career

Leroy Nicholas Barnes was born on October 15, 1933, inHarlem,New York City,into anAfrican-Americanfamily. A good student in his youth, Barnes left home early to escape his abusivealcoholicfather, turning todrug dealingfor income. Barnes himself became addicted toheroinfor several years in his 20s until spending time in jail, when he ended his addiction. Barnes was sent to prison in 1965 for low-level drug dealing, and while in prison he met"Crazy" Joe Gallo,acapoin theColombo crime family,andMatthew Madonna,a heroin dealer for theLucchese crime family.Gallo wanted to have a greater presence in the Harlem heroin market, but did not have any personnel to deal in the predominantly African-American areas. It is believed Gallo passed on his knowledge of how to run adrug traffickingorganization to Barnes, and asked him to assemble the necessary personnel.When Gallo was released from jail, he provided a lawyer for Barnes, who subsequently had his conviction overturned on a technicality.On his return to New York City, Barnes began to assemble his personnel, and began cutting and packaging heroin.

The Council

External videos
"Mr. Untouchable"the Nicky Barnes Story {documentary)

In 1972, to deal more efficiently with other blackgangstersin Harlem, Barnes foundedThe Council,a seven-man organization consisting of Barnes, Joseph "Jazz" Hayden,Wallace Rice,Thomas "Gaps" Foreman, Ishmael Muhammed, Frank James, andGuy Fisher.The Council was modelled after theItalian-American Mafiafamilies, where it settled disputes among the criminals, and handled distribution problems and other drug trade related issues.

By 1976, Barnes' operation spread throughout all ofNew York Stateand intoPennsylvaniaandCanada.According toDrug Enforcement Administration(DEA) records, Barnes' operation in 1976 consisted of seven lieutenants, who each controlled a dozen mid-level distributors, who in turn supplied upwards of 40 street level dealers each.

Barnes set up front companies to protect some of his assets, such as numerouscar dealerships,which appeared to be rented through those companies. The DEA eventually discovered the true ownership of the companies and seized the cars, including aBentley,aCitroën SM,aMaserati,aMercedes-Benz,a yellowVolvo,and severalCadillacs,Lincoln Continentals,andFord Thunderbirds.Barnes' net worth had reached over $50 million at the height of his career. ANew York Timesarticle estimated Barnes purchased hundreds of tailor-made suits,Italianshoes, coats, and jewelry, which alone was valued at over $7 million.During this time, Barnes had become the dominantdrug lordin Harlem, and 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.The Council also employedcontract killers,including Robert "Willie Sanchez" Young.

Arrest and conviction

On June 5, 1977,The New York Times Magazinereleased an article titled "Mr. Untouchable", featuring Barnes posing on the front cover. The magazine told Barnes that they were going to use amug shotof Barnes unless he posed for the cameras. Barnes, who hated mug shots, agreed and took the shot.In response to Barnes' apparent confidence in his own invulnerability, PresidentJimmy Carterordered theJustice Departmentto intensify its efforts to prosecute him.The resulting prosecution saw Barnes convicted fordrug-related crimesand sentenced tolife in prison without the possibility of paroleon January 19, 1978. The chief prosecutor in the case wasRobert B. Fiske,then theUnited States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Prison

According to Barnes, while in prison he discovered that his assets were not being maintained, and The Council had stopped paying his attorneys' fees. Barnes discovered that one of his fellow Council members, Guy Fisher, was having an affair with Barnes' mistress.The Council had a rule that no council member would sleep with another Council member's wife or mistress, so in response Barnes decided to become a federalinformant.He forwarded a list of 109 names, five of them Council members', along with his wife's name, implicating them all in illegal activities related to the heroin trade. Barnes helped toindict44 other traffickers, 16 of whom were ultimately convicted.In his testimony, he implicated himself in eightmurders.While in prison, he also won a national poetry contest for federal inmates, earned a college diploma with honors, and taught fellow inmates English.

Release and life after prison

After Barnes cooperated with the government by working as an informant,Rudolph Giulianisought a reversal of Barnes' life sentence. Eventually, Barnes was resentenced to 35 years. By working in jail, he earned two months off his sentence for every one he served, and was released in August 1998.

In 2007, Barnes and his former competitor,Frank Lucas,sat down withNew Yorkmagazine'sMark Jacobsonfor a conversation between men who had not spoken to each other in three decades.

Barnes became part of theUnited States Federal Witness Protection Program.His memoir,Mr. Untouchable: My Crimes and Punishments,was published in 2007,and he appeared in a documentary about his gang life, also titledMr. Untouchable(2007).On January 31, 2008,Howard Sterninterviewed Barnes on Stern'sSirius Satellite Radioshow.

Death

Barnes died from cancer on June 18, 2012; however, because he was under witness protection, his death was not contemporaneously reported under his birth name, and news of his death only became known in June 2019.

Depictions in media

• A character based on Barnes was portrayed bySean "Diddy" Combsin the filmCarlito's Way: Rise to Power(2005). StarringJay Hernandez,directed byMartin Bregman.
• Barnes was portrayed byCuba Gooding Jr.in the filmAmerican Gangster(2007), starringDenzel WashingtonasFrank Lucasand directed byRidley Scott.
• Barnes was portrayed byDerrick Baskinin the mini-series "The Offer"(2022).

See also

• Louis Diaz
• Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson
• Frank Matthews (drug trafficker)
• Benito Romano

Further reading

• Cooley, Will (2018). "The Work: Dealing and Violence in the War on Drugs Era".Labor: Studies in Working-Class History.15(2): 77–110.doi:10.1215/15476715-4353704.S2CID149479434.

External links

• Mr. Untouchable (2007)atIMDb