Al Lombard

Al Lombard
Affiliation	Crime boss, working for Frederico Librizzi
Born/Died	1944-1989
Status	Deceased, killed by Frederico Librizzi
Episode(s)	"One Eyed Jack" "Lombard" "World of Trouble"
Played By	Dennis Farina

Albert "Al" Lombard (1944-1989) was a crime boss and a major player in Miami's illegal gambling underworld, running every kind of illegal gambling operation from poker, roulette and blackjack to cockfights and bare knuckle boxing. He also operated numerous loan sharking enterprises, principally through his lieutenant Vincent DeMarco.

Originally a member of the Librizzi crime family, Lombard was forced to testify against his boss Frederico Librizzi by a grand jury investigating organized crime in Miami. However, he absconded from trial and went into hiding. He later returned to the city and was killed by Librizzi.

Biography

Early life

Lombard came from humble origins. His entry into the world of crime was propelled by the fact that his father, an Italian immigrant who came to the U.S. practically penniless, spent his life working long hours at menial jobs before dying a poor man. Decided that such a life was not for him, Lombard elected to turn to crime to make his fortune.

Lombard began running numbers in his teens, eventually moving up the ladder in the Librizzi crime family. He lived by just one rule: If he's owed, he's paid. In 1965 he fathered a son, Salvatore, and by the late 1960s was working in New York, where he successfully eluded an NYPD investigation before moving to Miami. He eventually rose to become one of the foremost racketeers in the city, building an empire based on illegal gambling and loan sharking, and taking on partners such as close confidante Charlie Fusco and trusted lieutenant Vincent DeMarco.

Barbara Carrow investigation

In 1984, DeMarco was brought down by Crockett and Tubbs after attempting to frame Crockett for corruption. As part of a deal to avoid prison time, DeMarco agreed to wear a wire and attempt to entrap Lombard, but the plan unravelled when DeMarco broke down and revealed his deception before Lombard had incriminated himself. DeMarco was then killed by a vengeful Jerry Carrow, whose wife Barbara had recently been murdered for failing to repay debts owed to Lombard's organization -- while Lombard adamantly denied having any knowledge of Barbara's murder, Crockett blamed him for her death.

Witness

Several months later, a grand jury compelled Lombard to testify against his boss and head of the Librizzi crime family, Frederico Librizzi. While Lombard had never felt comfortable working for the young and inexperienced Librizzi, he fully intended to stay true to his values of never betraying his associates. However, it soon became clear Librizzi had no intention of taking the chance that Lombard might talk and intended to silence him; when Lombard's own entourage began to turn against him, including his trusted confidante Charlie Fusco, he was reluctantly forced to enter Metro-Dade protective custody until he could testify.

The job of protecting Lombard fell to OCB, once again bringing Lombard into contact with Crockett and Tubbs. While Crockett initially held onto his lingering resentment relating to Barbara Carrow's murder, Lombard maintained his innocence in her death, pointing out that killing her "caused a lot of heat" for his organization, attention he never would have brought upon himself. During their time together, Crockett somewhat warmed to Lombard, admiring his strong values despite his continued reluctance to testify. Lombard's mind appeared to be made up when his son Salvatore came to him and implored him to testify against Librizzi to prove himself. However, at the trial Lombard pleaded the fifth, despite his immunity from prosecution. Leaving the courthouse afterwards, he was followed by Librizzi gunmen and presumed killed.

Return to Miami

Al Lombard in 1989

In 1989, after four years "on the lam" in Sicily, Morocco and Jamaica, Lombard returned to Miami to reunite with his son, now married to Rita, and meet his young grandson Tommy. Although determined to leave his former mob life behind and interested only in reconnecting with his son and grandson, Rita was displeased that Lombard had returned, fearing that his criminal past would catch up to them all. However, unknown to either Al or Rita, Salvatore was involved with his own criminal activities, including the theft of the HAVOC device with the intention of selling it to illegal arms dealer Hans Weitzler.

Once Librizzi learned that Lombard was back, he promptly dispatched a hit team to kill him; the hit went bad, and Salvatore was killed instead, in the process of saving his father's life. Knowing the former crime boss would seek revenge, Crockett and Tubbs pleaded with him to allow them to bring Librizzi down lawfully, but Lombard made no promises. Later, when Librizzi's men launched another attempt on his life at his Key Biscayne home, Lombard killed the would-be assassins and, in an act of defiance, dumped one of the bodies from a helicopter into Librizzi's pool -- while Librizzi and his mistress were swimming in it. Lombard continued his attempts to reconcile with Rita and Tommy, but in the wake of Salvatore's death, Rita blamed him for Salvatore's death and shunned him.

Death

Finally, Lombard agreed to cooperate with OCB to bust Librizzi, giving Crockett his word that he would not kill him. On the day Crockett and Tubbs (as Burnett and Cooper) met with Librizzi to discuss the sale of the HAVOC device, Lombard suddenly appeared, reaching into his jacket and telling Librizzi, "This one's for my son." Librizzi and his men fired first, mortally wounding Lombard before Crockett and Tubbs could return fire, killing Librizzi. Going to Lombard, Crockett discovered that he was not even armed; asking why he did it, Lombard responded that he kept his word, since it was the Vice cops, not he, who had killed Librizzi. With his dying breath he told Crockett that he had to avenge his son, and asked him to explain the situation to Rita and Tommy.

Personal Life

Over his lifetime Al developed a knack for cooking, insisting on fresh ingredients in his dishes. Lombard was married but never disclosed what happened to the marriage. His son, Salvatore (1965-1989) never knew his true dealings until he was in college, then, became estranged and distant after his father refused to testify against the Librizzi crime family. Sal would later claim that Al lied to him while growing up, so much so that he had to read the newspapers to know what was going on in Al's life. Sal would attend law school at the encouragement of Al, but ultimately began engaging in criminal pursuits, much to Al's disappointment. Sal countered that Al was a hypocrite, and at one point said Al couldn't dislike who he was because Sal was just like him -- i.e. a criminal. Al attempted to reconcile with Sal before Sal's untimely death, when Sal threw himself into a hail of bullets meant for Al. After Sal's death Al reached out to Sal's wife, Rita, who rebuffed his overtures out of fear that Al's enemies could cause problems for what was left of her family. Lombard had a grandson, Tommy, that he got to see briefly before his death, and in a foreshadowing of his own death, told Tommy that his daddy loved him, and his Grandpa Al loved him, even though they would not be there for him. Al's last act was to protect his grandson from the world of crime by sacrificing himself to Librizzi, who was then promptly killed by Crockett, thus ensuring that Librizzi would never harm Tommy or Rita.

Role in Vice

The character of Lombard served, alongside other recurring enemies such as the Calderone cartel, Frank Hackman, Frank Mosca, or William "Captain Real Estate" Maynard, as one of the series' more influential villains. In addition to appearing in three episodes (the most of any recurring villain), Lombard's criminal empire is constantly mentioned throughout the first season, being further investigated by the Organized Crime Bureau in the episodes "Golden Triangle (Part II)" and "Nobody Lives Forever". Lombard's character also experienced the most progression of any villain in the series. Initially, Lombard is presented as a cold, calculating criminal. Later, his more human side emerges, including his parental frustration at the estrangement from his son and his adherence to his own personal code of honor -- omerta or the code of silence -- even though it protects less-honorable men who want him dead, such as Librizzi. Ultimately, Lombard attempts to re-connect with his family and renounce his life of crime, but is killed in an act of self-sacrifice in order to protect his grandson Tommy from the criminal world -- the only world he had ever known for himself. Lombard's relationship to Crockett also progresses. At first, Lombard is just another criminal to take down. Then he becomes a witness to protect, although Crockett can't forgive Lombard for having had Barbara Carrow killed, stating that personally, he didn't care whether Lombard lived or died. Finally, Lombard becomes an unlikely ally in the plan to take down Librizzi, Lombard going so far as to trust Crockett with the life of his grandson. Of all the villains in the series, Crockett only displayed genuine regret at the death of Lombard.