What Is Dominic Barbara's Net Worth?
Dominic Barbara is an American attorney who has a net worth of $50 thousand. Dominic Barbara was at one time known for being the "biggest, brassiest lawyer on Long Island" (according to "New York Magazine"). During his career Barbara represented clients such as Joey Buttafuoco, Howard Stern, Jessica Hahn, and Michael Lohan. In 2012 Dominic was arrested after allegedly stalking his ex-wife and allegedly trying to extort her out of $200,000. Dominic also revealed that he was homeless, deep in debt, had a drinking problem and painkiller addiction. It was a shocking fall for a guy who once sported $1,000 suits and drove a Bentley. He had apparently been reduced to sleeping on a friend's couch despite legally owning a multi-million dollar waterfront mansion. When his court date came, Dominic represented himself against charges of fourth degree grand larceny, fourth degree stalking and second degree aggravated harassment. He was arrested three times that year.
He first became well-known after he represented Joey Buttafuoco in the criminal case for the statutory rape of Amy Fisher. He would go on to have a hand in cases involving Jessica Hahn, the secretary who exposed Jim Bakker, and Lindsay Lohan's father Michael Lohan. He was a frequent guest on the Howard Stern Show and has also appeared on the TV series Power of Attorney and Larry King Live. Barbara also represented the wife of radio personality Anthony Cumia from the "Opie and Anthony" show during their divorce.
Barbara was featured in the 2011 HBO documentary "There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane," which was about the 2009 Taconic State Parkway crash. Dominic was the attorney of Daniel Schuler, the husband of the woman who caused the crash, killing herself and seven others. Barbara's law license was suspended in 2011 due to "an avalanche of Grievance Committee sanctions," and he decided to retire soon after.
Financial and Legal Problems
Dominic was arrested in 2012 for allegedly stalking his ex-wife, Leslie, and attempting to extort her. He was charged with stalking, aggravated harassment, and attempted grand larceny, and Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice stated that Barbara "threatened to file false police reports and a false order of protection against his ex-wife unless she gave him $200,000."
Dominic reportedly threatened to release compromising videos and photos of his ex-wife, and he contacted her friends, business partner, and clients to try to get her to give in to his demands. Barbara had been arrested a few months earlier for violating a protection order Leslie had filed against him.
Dominic later revealed that he was in debt and homeless and that he was struggling with alcoholism and a painkiller addiction. In a 2012 interview with the "New York Post," he revealed that he had started taking Vicodin after undergoing knee surgery, stating:
"I never did drugs or drank. Not even wine, and I'm Italian! Pretty soon, I was taking 170 pills a month, prescribed by unnamed doctors, and drinking."
In the interview, Barbara said that he was "studying to be a minister," that he was involved in creating a weight loss vitamin called Enhance, and that he was interested in "putting the chairman of the board who makes Vicodin in prison for life."
In 2013, Dominic was arrested for allegedly stealing a woman's purse, a Yves Saint Laurent bag worth $1,400, from the Long Island store Hirshleifers. That year he was also arrested for allegedly choking his girlfriend.
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Artie Lang Outreach
Barbara became friends with actor/comedian Artie Lange during his appearances on "The Howard Stern Show," and after Lange was arrested in 2017 for missing a court date that was related to a drug case, Dominic sent an open letter to "Page Six" begging Artie to save himself. The letter read, "Dear Artie, I have been your friend for 20 years. After painkiller addiction, alcohol addiction and almost dying from a stroke, I am five years free of pills and almost six months free of alcohol. I am in a step program at Steve Kennedy's Incentives [Recovery House] in Boca Raton. He is 33 years sober from heroin and the best man I have ever met. If you want to come, I will come get you and pay all your costs. Please save your life. You have a lot of people who love you. Dominic."
Shelter Island Home
In 2018, it was announced that the town of Shelter Island, New York, would be boarding up Barbara's waterfront home, which he purchased in 1988. The home was described as an "abandoned, vermin-infested house" and a "health and safety hazard," and an article in the "Shelter Island Reporter" said that it was "a place difficult to get to because of overgrown bushes and downed tree limbs, with windows open to the elements and overrun with vermin, squirrels and raccoons."
According to legal filings, Dominic transferred ownership of the home to his two children in 2013. The home was reportedly in foreclosure at one point before his children sold the property in January 2021 for $2.6 million.
