Burglar Who Tried To Whack Gravesend Deli Owner Who Testified Against Him Receives 20 Years To Life

The incarcerated Gravesend burglar who tried to get a fellow Rikers inmate to kill a witness has been sentenced to 20 years to life in prison, Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson announced today.

As we reported in September, Joseph Lombardo, 55, was hit with a new indictment of conspiracy and solicitation to commit murder just hours after being found guilty of an armed robbery.

According to prosecutors, Lombardo kept hounding a fellow inmate to “take care of the witness,” Hussein Saleh, a father of three, who would testify at his trial. Lombardo allegedly told the inmate, “I don’t care how you do it, I just want him dead.”

The inmate eventually ratted him out to investigators. When an undercover detective reached out to Lombardo claiming to be a killer-for-hire, Lombardo asked to meet him in person. During that meeting, Lombardo proceeded to draw a map of Saleh’s deli and how to get access to his apartment. He also provided detailed instructions on how to make the murder appear like a robbery gone bad, according to investigators.

During the original crime, which occurred in February 2013, Lombardo and an accomplice forced their way into Saleh’s home on West 2nd Street demanding money from his wife, Janna Saleh, in front of their three children, including an 11-year-old girl. Both Lombardo and the accomplice wore ski masks, hoods, and gloves during the robbery. The daughter managed to sneak away and called her father, Hussein, who made it home just in time to witness the crooks leaving the building and pulling off their ski masks. Saleh recognized Lombardo as “Joe” who regularly frequented his deli and was able to positively identify him at trial.

“This defendant invaded the sanctity of his victims’ home – terrorized an innocent family – and then allegedly had the audacity to try to have him killed to keep him from testifying,” said Thompson. “Such utter contempt for the rule of law cannot be tolerated and warrants the 20 years to life sentence handed down.”