The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that a 29-year-old man who portrayed a dancing hamster in car commercials pleaded no contest to insurance fraud.
Leroy Barnes, who was arrested in 2014, entered his no contest plea to one count each of insurance fraud and false statements regarding aid. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Norm Shapiro immediately sentenced Barnes to 90 days of electronic monitoring. Barnes also was ordered to perform 400 hours of community service and pay more than $24,000 in restitution.
Barnes, best known for playing one of the hip-hop hamsters in the popular Kia car commercials, received disability benefits between September 2010 and September 2011. During that time, Barnes claimed he was not employed but was actually working on the Kia commercials. He is also professionally known by the alternate names: Leroy ‘Hypnosis’ Barnes Jr.; Leroy Barnes Jr.; Leroy ‘Hypnosis’ Barnes; MoWii and the Rej3ctz
Barnes said he was struck and injured by a falling piece of ceiling in June 2010 while dancing for a theatrical production company, He then began receiving disability benefits from the Employment Development Department after seeing a doctor in July 2010. The doctor diagnosed Barnes with a sprain, strain and joint dysfunction of the thoracic spine and irritation to the eye. His disability claim was extended every few months because Barnes continued to say that he was hurt.
However Barnes began dancing intermittently in September 2010 and continued to dance until benefits ended in September 2011. In addition to the Kia commercial, he also worked as a backup dancer for pop stars Madonna, Kelly Rowland and Chris Brown, and a rap group called The Rej3ctz and assisted in recording the song Cat Daddy. During this same timeframe he collected $51,000 in workers’ compensation benefits.