Nicky Barnes Net Worth: Nicky Barnes is an American ex-criminal and government informant who has a net worth of $500 thousand. At the height of his drug trafficking career, Nicky was worth over $50 million. Nicky was portrayed by Cuba Gooding, Jr. in the 2007 movie “American Gangster”.
Leroy Nicholas Barnes was born in Harlem, New York, on October 15 1933. At the height of his power, Nicky led “The Council”, a New York-based crime group that dealt a good portion of the city’s heroin trade. Barnes quit his heroin addiction after landing behind bars and made the change to dealing instead of using. In 1965, he got sent to prison again, this time for dealing heroin. While incarcerated, he met several other drug-dealing criminals and learned how to run a drug-trafficking organization. When Barnes’ conviction was overturned, he moved back to Harlem and began to form The Council. During the mid-’70s, the organization expanded into Pennsylvania and Canada.
He appeared on the cover of “The New York Times Magazine” in June 1977 as “Mr. Untouchable”. As a result of Barnes’ photo, President Jimmy Carter ordered the prosecution of Barnes, who was sentenced to life behind bars in early 1978 for his drug crimes. While in prison this time, Barnes learned that his Council members had betrayed him, including one who was sleeping with his wife. As a result, Barnes flipped sides and began working with the government, leading to the indictment of more than 40 other alleged criminals. Because of his cooperation, Barnes’ sentence was reduced to 35 years, and he was freed during the summer of 1998. Barnes penned his 2007 memoir “Mr. Untouchable” and gave a radio interview to Howard Stern. He is currently part of the Witness Protection Program.