Lombardo earned the nickname "The Clown" from his joking demeanor and for his various antics, including grinning wide for mug shots and for departing a 1981 court appearance at the federal courts building in Chicago holding a "Chicago Sun-Times" newspaper in front of his face with a hole cut out so he could see. In 2005, Halprin spoke to the "Chicago Tribune" about his client's nickname, saying "hat's a name he doesn't relish, and neither do I. The guy I know is not a clown."