Magic City Strip Club back in the hands of Michael “Magic” Barney!

The founder of the infamous Magic City Strip Club located in downtown Atlanta, who went to prison on a drug charge, has regained ownership of the nightspot.  Michael “Magic” Barney brought the property from an old friend, Joseph Saba, a neurologist who practices in Riverdale, Georgia.  Barney’s business, M-Entertainment Properties, paid $2.85 million, according to Databank to buy his club back.  Barney founded the Forsyth Street club in 1985, and it became a destination for music and sports celebrities.  Eight years later he was arrested in a drug investigation and convicted on a drug conspiracy charge.  He was sentenced to 10 years and released in 2002.  A federal affidavit from 1993 alleged drug money was laundered at Magic City and that one of the participants was advised by attorney Fred Tokars.  Tokars later was sentenced to life in prison for this wife’s murder.  Additional in 2000, rival strip club owned Michael Childs was charged with conspiring to have Magic City torched.  Magic City was not burned, but Childs pleaded guilty to evading taxes and to paying an arsonist to burn other clubs.  He received a three-year sentence.  It is no doubt that these club that objectify women that have low self-esteem are rooted in criminal activity and low life behavior.  Childs was at the center of the federal investigation of former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell.  Childs, who is the nephew of Ambassador Andrew Young, who is also a former mayor of Atlanta as well, claimed that he paid bribes to Campbell to get a liquor license.  Campbell was sentenced in 2006 to 30 months in prison for tax evasion, but was not convicted for taking bribes.  Barney was not willing to talk to me.  However, Saba, who purchased the club in 2003 from Barney’s brother-in-law for $400,000, said, “I know this guy for a long time.  Magic is one of the most honorable people I’ve ever met.  This guy I would take a bullet for.”  Well that says it all he is just as much of a gangster as his friend.  Medical school does not mean he is not trash he is just trash that lucked out and was able to get an education.