Denver Judge Under Investigation After Paying Defendant’s $1 Bond Himself

By: Tony Kovaleski, Joe Vaccarelli | Denver7

Judge Barry Schwartz is currently reassigned after he allegedly paid the defendant's bond at an Aug. 15 court hearing, Denver7 Investigates has learned.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An attorney representing Judge Barry Schwartz contacted Denver7 Investigates on Friday morning and provided a statement on his behalf. We are updating the story to include the following:

“Judge Schwartz’s impulsive simple act of kindness and compassion for a fellow human happened before he considered the optics or consequences of doing the same. He knows to exercise his good judgment more carefully. He apologizes to the public for the inconvenience and to his colleagues who have covered his courtroom while he continues to perform an administrative role behind the scenes. He looks forward to being back in his courtroom as quickly as possible, now with a bit better perspective.”

A Denver County Court judge is under investigation after he allegedly paid a $1 bond for a defendant in his courtroom in August, Denver7 Investigates has learned.

Judge Barry Schwartz has been reassigned and is not hearing cases while the investigation continues.

The incident in question occurred during an Aug. 15 court appearance where Schwartz was overseeing a bond forfeiture hearing for a probation violation in a 2016 misdemeanor assault case.

A representative for the defendant in that case said to the court that although bond is typically set at $1 in these cases, she was asking for a personal recognizance bond for the defendant because she did not have a dollar.

Denver7 Investigates obtained an audio copy of a roughly three-minute portion of that hearing where Schwartz is heard telling the attorney, “We have a dollar.”

“It’s pretty black and white,” Denver-based attorney Harvey Steinberg said. “What he did was wrong.”

Denver7 Investigates asked Steinberg and retired Pueblo Chief Judge Dennis Maes to each independently review the audio recording. Both said they have never heard of a judge acting in this manner.

“It shocked me,” Maes said. “We’re supposed to be impartial. We are not to let our emotions get carried away in the courtrooms so that we can make solid courtroom decisions.”

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