Legal Aid Peeping Tom: "Nice," "Has An Attitude"

The Post got varying opinions from neighbors of Peter Barta, the Legal Aid lawyer accused of secretly videotaping his female colleagues. Barta was charged with four counts of unlawful surveillance and six counts of attempted unlawful surveillance after he allegedly planted a Sharper Image Security Camcorder Clock in his colleagues' offices to film them while they changed in their offices for the gym or court appearances.

Barta, who was on the Stuyvesant High School debating team and attended Georgetown Law, lives in Kew Gardens with his mother. The super told the Post, "He's a nice guy," but a neighbor said that when he pressed Barta's doorbell by accident, Barta "came down swearing at us. He called us f-ing a-holes. He has an attitude." The Post mentions that Barta was "described as a prodigious porn collector who regularly got deliveries of X-rated material at the Queens apartment he shares with his mom - including one tape of topless women at the beach." (A Girls Gone Wild video?) Barta resigned from Legal Aid Society last November, after the Manhattan DA's preliminary investigation, and has been working at a legal temp agency.

Barta has pleaded not guilty "at this point," according to his lawyer Henry Putzel III who also said the incident "tragic." The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog has the Manhattan DA's press release about the case (PDF).

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on July 8, 2007 12:45 PM

Comments [rss]

guest

That is a stupid comments. Most of those Legal Aid lawyers are saints -- defending those who cannot afford to defend themselves. They work like dogs under the hardest conditions imaginable. Most could have secured cushy corporate jobs, but chose instead to dedicate their lives to helping the poor. The fact that one of these people turns out to be a major creep shouldn't taint them all!

guest

Justice is sooooo sweeeeet!

As a Legal Aid Lawyer, he no doubt defended countless rapists and domestic abusers- now we know why he had an affinity for these types.

And as for his Legal Aid collegues who were violated... maybe now they will have a little bit of compassion for the sex-crime victims they usually ignore.

Justice baby!!!

guest

I also knew Peter during law school, although I haven't seen or spoken to him in years. I am stunned to hear about what is happening.

I tend to agree with the above poster who wondered if prosecution was absolutely necessary. After all, getting fired (or being forced to resign, same thing) under these circumstances, plus a referral for bar disciplinary procedures, could be just as effective a punishment.

Speaking of which, is it routine for a DA's office to issue a press release announcing a prosecution? Particularly in a situation like this one? Just wondering.

guest

I've known Peter for over a decade. The whole thing is very shocking to me. He's not someone I would have set a friend up with (his porn collection doesn't surprise me), but I've never thought he'd do something like this. Just a reminder: innocent until proven guilty is how our justice system works. Right?

Reality Czech

yo, dumbasses, you think hair matters? I think not. I'm better looking bald than most of you could ever hope to be, and my beautiful sexy wife proves it.

There is more to life than hair, which basically is just a diversion.

This guy is a freak.

guest

jen chung, where did you get that photo? off his myspace? . . . which garnered mentioned only in the nypost -- corporate synergy?

does anyone else feel like maybe legal aid went a little too far in referring this to the DA's office what with all the ugly publicity that we are now seeing? would it not have been enough that the guy lose his jorb and be disgraced within the legal circles in which he was known (gossip gets around, you know)? life-ruination is a pretty steep penalty. maybe they didn't anticipate the press interest.

guest

i went to law school with this guy about ten years ago, and he was no hipster. he was already balding then, if that matters. he was an arrogant dweeb that quite a few of us disliked. bad breath too, if i recall.

robingee

What the hell is a Hipster Weirdo Tough Guy? Is that anything like a Beatnik Farmer Pirate?

guest

Poor guy, 32 and going bald.

there's a fine line between ordering porn through the mail and buying a spy cam recording your co-workers most intimate of intimates. (ie tampon insertion)

I'd hang out with him, even his Super says he's a good guy, those guys see everything. (probably saw his P collection)

guest

wow. How admirable of the young man to take care of his mom. How unadmirable for him to be a perverted sex fiend. I guess you win some you lose some.

drtmuir

Oh right, blame Stuyvesant. :P

Nick S

young professional in new york that graduated from stuyvesant? dobkin was totally friendw with this dude at one point in time.

guest

[shakes head] Who has porn delivered these days? Why didn't Barta just download it like the rest of the world?

guest

you keep believing that. guys are very malipulative and will say anything to get into a girl's panties.

one way is to gain your confidence by saying he's one of the "nice" guys.

Beware the "nice" guy. check his porn collection.

Nick S

guest comments just keep getting stranger and stranger. comment #4 sounds like it was posted in the 40's.

guest

sounds like guest is a perv too

guest

whatever, so you're a "normal" guy, right?

yeah, right. I would be wary of guys who don't have a pair of binocs because those are the hipster wierdos tough guys who want to be different.

tblake

I don't have a pair of binoculars in my apartment.

Steven

32 years old and a lawyer, but still living with your mom!?

guest

Are peeping Tom's usually men? do females get a thrill out of it?

tell me one guy who doesn't have a pair of binoculars in their apartment.

Looks like he got caught in the regular deliveries of those girls gone wild tapes. those are harder to cancel than AOL. How did this Nosey neighbor know it was porn?