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Leroy Barnes, A Kia Dancing Hamster, Makes A Plea Deal For Workers' Comp And State Disability Fraud In Downtown Los Angeles Criminal Court. But his own attorney has committed a heavier crime...
By Lonce LaMon - January 25, 2016

Just last Thursday, January 21st 2016, one of the Kia dancing hamsters, Leroy Barnes, pled “no contest” to two felony counts of workers’ compensation fraud and state disability insurance fraud in downtown Los Angeles. In court room 116 before the Honorable Norm Shapiro at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center at 210 West Temple Street, Deputy District Attorney Richard Gallegly told Leroy Barnes that his no contest plea was being treated as a guilty plea.
  
DDA Richard Gallegly:   You understand your no contest plea is being treated as a guilty plea?
 
Leroy Barnes:  Yes.
 
Four felony counts were eventually filed against the dancing hamster from what started out as three felony counts with the first Complaint of March 13th 2014. The first count was filed as a workers’ compensation felony count; the second count as an insurance fraud count; the third one as felony perjury for lying during his deposition when questioned about this case; and the forth count was added last when it was discovered that Leroy not only collected workers’ compensation indemnity benefits while he was dancing for pay but also collected from California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) while dancing away.
 
Leroy Barnes is a black man and appeared in court looking somewhat menacing. He wore a black leather jacket with a black glove on his left hand complete with brass knuckles. His dark hair was torqued straight up in front with the front top hairs died a peach color. He is razor thin, wore a prominent nose ring, with dangling feathery earrings which hung from his earlobes. His rust colored boots rose from his feet and ankles over his excessively slender pale blue jeans.
  
His plea deal dropped counts two and three and contains only counts one and four. DDA Richard Gallegly explained that if in a year’s time Barnes complies with his terms of probation, makes his restitution, and complies with his required community service, his two felony counts will be lowered to misdemeanors. His restitution is for a combined total of $24,500 payable to Fireman’s Fund and EDD.
  
The Honorable Norm Shapiro:  Mr. Barnes, have you had enough time to discuss this with your attorney?
 
Leroy Barnes:  Yes
 
Barnes spoke almost inaudibly as he answered questions from the judge and the deputy district attorney. DDA Richard Gallegly spelled out his rights he was giving up by accepting the plea deal. He asked Barnes if he was pleading freely and voluntarily and if there were any restraints upon him which could prevent him from making this deal freely.
  
DDA Gallegly could not hear Barnes’s answer to whether there were any restraints upon him. So, he asked Barnes to please repeat his answer. 
 
Barnes rudely yelled out, “None whatsoever!  No!” He screamed it. The court room froze and no one even gave a response to his inappropriate outburst—neither the judge, his attorney, nor the DDA.
 
Barnes’ attorney, Fred Dorton, Jr., is even more of a criminal than Leroy Barnes. Barnes has a rap sheet from before this case and Fred Dorton, Jr. has a rap sheet as well including an astonishing crime he committed on January 14th 2015.  He was charged with attempted murder by the Los Angeles District Attorney the next day.
 
A portly black man who wore perhaps a sized 20 blue suit in court last Thursday, Fred Dorton had his house in foreclosure during the months before committing the crime alleged on January 14th 2015. An investment company called NBC Properties bought his house at auction. They left notices taped to his front door, but Dorton did not initially respond. Finally NBC Properties left him a message stating they were taking over the house and would be changing the locks.  To this Dorton called back and made threats. Dorton told NBC they did not own the house, the house was rightfully his, and that if they tried to take over the house he would cause great bodily harm to whomever tried to break his locks and get in.
 
NBC Properties went ahead and sent a crew to change the locks on Dorton’s home.  Dorton walked up to the two workers who were at work changing the locks with a 45 caliber Glock semiautomatic handgun. He yelled at them, “get the f*** away from my house!”  During the struggle, one worker got past Dorton and fled the scene but the other worker, James Mendoza, got fired at twice at close range into his upper torso.
  
The gun was registered to Dorton’s girlfriend, Kimberly Smith. Dorton had the exterior of his home wired with video cameras, so the attack was captured on video.  The case against Dorton from the LADA was filed on January 15th 2015 and now the amended complaint reads: willful, deliberate, and premeditated attempted murder of James Mendoza.
  
On the bail amount worksheet, the full bail amount is listed as:  $2,155,000.  For Penal Code section 664/187 which is attempted murder, the amount is $1,000,000.  For two or more offenses, there is added another $75,000.  For causing great bodily harm or death with a weapon or firearm, there’s another $1,000,000.  For infliction of great bodily harm:  $30,000.  For a prior conviction of a serious or violent felony, or a sex offense, add another $50,000.
  
Thus, Leroy Barnes’ attorney had his bail add up to $2,155,000.  Amazingly, Dorton was able to get a bond from Indiana Lumberman’s Mutual and get out of custody.   Leroy Barnes received a letter from DDA Richard Gallegly and District Attorney Jackie Lacey on February 26th 2015 informing him that both he and his attorney were being prosecuted by the same agency at the same time, thus, creating a conflict of interest. Therefore, if Barnes wanted to keep his attorney, he would have to sign a waiver of conflict of interest.  Barnes signed the waiver.
 
A prior transcript from a prior case against Leroy Barnes was found in his current case file. A deputy district attorney named Dennis Poey was on the record in that transcript stating, “Mr. Barnes, with your priors you face 11 years in prison.”
  
DDA Richard Gallegly made electronic monitoring part of Leroy Barnes’ plea deal.  He stated that electronic monitoring is a form of punishment in lieu of custody.
 
DDA Richard Gallegly: I realize Mr. Barnes is a professional dancer.   I did not want to take away his ability to make a living.
 
This generosity on the part of the DDA is impressive in light of Barnes’ prior criminal history.  His sentencing is scheduled for nearly a year from now on January 19th 2017.
  
Leroy Barnes in the meantime has to comply with the terms of his plea deal in order to qualify for minimum sentencing. His attorney, Fred Dorton, in the meantime is acting as his own attorney in the attempted murder case against him just down the hall. That case is presently in the pretrial phase in courtroom 119.  
 
After he left the court room, Leroy Barnes put on a pair of yellow lensed superfly glasses with gold rims.   
 
  
lonce@adjustercom.com; Lonce LaMon, journalist; copyright and all rights reserved by adjustercom and Lonce LaMon .   
 
Twitter: @loncelamon   Comment and communicate about this article on Facebook: www.facebook.com/adjustercom
 
 

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