Nicky Barnes

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Lore & Background

Leroy Nicholas Barnes was born on October 15, 1933, in Harlem, New York City, into an African-American family. A good student in his youth, Barnes left home early to escape his abusive alcoholic father, turning to drug dealing for income. Barnes himself became addicted to heroin for 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, a capo in the Colombo crime family, and Matthew Madonna, a heroin dealer for the Lucchese 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 a drug trafficking organization 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.

Reader's Guide

In 1972, to deal more efficiently with other black gangsters in Harlem, Barnes founded The Council, a seven-man organization consisting of Barnes, Joseph 'Jazz' Hayden, Wallace Rice, Thomas 'Gaps' Foreman, Ishmael Muhammed, Frank James, and Guy Fisher. The Council was modelled after the Italian-American Mafia families, where it settled disputes among the criminals, and handled distribution problems and other drug trade-related issues. By 1976, Barnes' operation spread throughout all of New York State and into Pennsylvania and Canada. According to 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 numerous car dealerships. The DEA eventually discovered the true ownership of the companies and seized the cars, including a Bentley, a Citroën SM, a Maserati, a Mercedes-Benz, a yellow Volvo, and several Cadillacs, Lincoln Continentals, and Ford Thunderbirds. Barnes' net worth had reached over $50 million at the height of his career. A New York Times article estimated Barnes purchased hundreds of tailor-made suits, Italian shoes, coats, and jewelry, which alone was valued at over $7 million. During this time, Barnes had become the dominant drug lord in Harlem, and was given the name 'Mr. Untouchable' after successfully beating numerous charges and arrests. On June 5, 1977, The New York Times Magazine released an article titled 'Mr. Untouchable', featuring Barnes posing on the front cover. In response to Barnes' apparent confidence, President Jimmy Carter ordered the Justice Department to intensify its efforts to prosecute him. Barnes was convicted for drug-related crimes and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on January 19, 1978. While in prison, Barnes discovered that a fellow Council member, 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 federal informant. 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 to indict 44 other traffickers, 16 of whom were ultimately convicted. In his testimony, he implicated himself in eight murders. After Barnes cooperated, Rudolph Giuliani sought 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 released a book, 'Mr. Untouchable', written with Tom Folsom, and a documentary DVD of the same title about his life. 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.

Did You Know?

• Barnes won a national poetry contest for federal inmates while in prison.
• He earned a college diploma with honors and taught fellow inmates English while incarcerated.
• Barnes' obituary appeared in The New York Times seven years after his death.
• He was given the name 'Mr. Untouchable' after successfully beating numerous charges and arrests.
• Barnes implicated himself in eight murders during his testimony as a federal informant.