John Barrett was the powerful and wealthy CEO of Drake Technologies, an international telecom company that has numerous high-profile connections abroad, including a contract with the United States government. He is also involved in the military-industrial complex with several allies inside the U.S.
Having compiled a complete file on Management's organization, Simon Escher realized he would need an ally to be able to use the information. For this, he collaborated with John Barrett, who had powerful allies and such capabilities. However, with Simon detained and the cypher-key bible locked in a safety deposit box, Barrett's associates made their own moves.
Barrett and his allies planned to have a team of freelance thieves rob the safety-deposit box and recover the Bible, but they failed the operation and were caught. An assassin named "Kendra" was hired to kill the thieves for their failure. Michael and Jesse Porter later captured "Kendra" and learned of her part in the conspiracy. They then broke into the safety-deposit box and stole the bible, only to learn that it was a book code; and Simon's.
While in New York City, Barrett was contacted by Michael and Jesse, who offered him the Bible in exchange for answering their questions about the contents. While hesitant to admit his complicity, he sent a Colonel in the U.S. military to retrieve the book, a plan Michael anticipated and countered. Barrett then arrived in Miami with an effective army to negotiate with Michael for the Bible. Despite the high security, Michael infiltrated the mansion, and sent a message to Barrett, setting up a meeting at a harbor.
At the harbor, Barrett and several of his mercenaries arrived in black SUVs. After obtaining the Bible and confirming its authenticity, Barrett explained how he was Simon's unofficial partner, and his intentions of eliminating the members of Management, also showing interest in recruiting Michael to achieve this goal. However, the deal went bad when Barrett was notified that members of Management, including Vaughn, approached the pier in a convoy of vehicles. Vaughn and his agents began a shoot-out with Barrett's mercenaries.
As the gun fight erupted on the harbor, Barrett ordered one of his mercenaries to capture Michael for interrogation. While Jesse's timely intervention prevented Barrett's two-man team from taking Michael, the distraction left Michael vulnerable to Barrett, as Jesse had to shoot through Michael's left shoulder to shoot the mercenary taking Michael hostage. Weakened and bleeding out, he was snatched by Barrett and thrown into the passenger seat of the SUV. Barrett drove the vehicle through the war zone until they were on the open road again. Barrett demanded to know who Michael worked for, but, nearly unconscious, Michael forced the steering wheel into a sharp turn that flipped the vehicle. The resulting crash left Barrett dead, Michael gravely injured and the bible lost.
By the next episode, the media has gotten a hold of his activities, as many international powers had taken Drake Technologies down after the revelations of their international crimes.