Early career

Leroy "Nicky" Barnes mugshot after he was stopped for a traffic violation and was not carrying identification. The two arresting officers were not aware who they caught until they brought him to the police station.

Leroy Barnes was sent to prison in 1965 for low level drug dealing. While in prison he met Colombo crime family member "Crazy" Joe Gallo^[4] and Lucchese crime familyheroin dealer Matthew Madonna.^[3] Gallo wanted to have more of a stake in the Harlem Heroin market but didn't have any personnel to deal in the mostly black Harlem. 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.^[4] When Gallo got out of jail he provided a lawyer for Barnes. The lawyer got Barnes' conviction overturned on a technicality and he returned to New York City.^[5] Once home, Barnes began to assemble his personnel and began cutting and packaging low-quality heroin. To deal more efficiently Barnes and other black gangsters created The Council, a seven man organization modeled after the Italian mob families. The Council settled disputes, handled distribution problems and other drug related issues.^[5] In addition to Barnes, The Council included Joseph "Jazz" Hayden, Wallace Rice, Thomas "Gaps" Foreman, Ishmael Muhammed, Frank James, and Guy Fisher.

[edit]Rise to drug lord

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 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.^[4]

At the height of his dealing, Barnes' net worth was well over one hundred million dollars.^{[citation needed]} Barnes set up front companies to protect some of his assets, such as numerous car dealerships, 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 Bentley, a Citroën SM, a Maserati, several Thunderbirds, Lincoln Continentals, and Cadillacs. A New York Times article estimated Barnes purchased hundreds of tailor made suits, Italian shoes, coats, and jewelry, which alone was estimated at over one million dollars.^[4]

[edit]Mr Untouchable and arrest

On June 5, 1977 The New York Times magazine released an article titled Mr Untouchable with Barnes posing on the front cover. The Times told Barnes that they were going to use a mug shot of Barnes unless Barnes came and posed for the cameras. Barnes, who hated mug shots, agreed and took the shot.^[3]

Barnes’s posture of smug invulnerability so affronted President Jimmy Carter that he ordered his attorney general to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.^[1] The Justice Department did just that. Barnes was prosecuted for his drug-related crimes and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on January 19, 1978. The chief prosecutor in the case was Robert B. Fiske, then the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who was assisted by two younger Assistant United States Attorneys, Tom Sear and Bob Mazur.