The Wrong Man: Alex Algeri, Lee Ann Riedel & the Amityville Murder-for-Hire Plot
- KRIS CALVERT
- 5 hours ago
- 6 min read
On a cold January night in 2001, Amityville, New York, became the backdrop for a crime so shocking it read like the script of a mob movie. A devoted friend and beloved gym owner, Alex “Al” Algeri, was gunned down in what police quickly realized was a case of mistaken identity. The true target was Al’s business partner, Paul Riedel. At the heart of the conspiracy: Paul’s wife, Lee Ann, and her lover, Ralph “Rocco” Salierno.
A Friendship Turned Fatal
Al Algeri wasn’t supposed to die that night. At just 32 years old, the electrician-turned-gym-owner was in the prime of his life. Together with his best friend, Paul Riedel, he co-owned the Dolphin Fitness Club in Amityville. The two were inseparable, building a business side by side and spending most of their waking hours at the gym.
On January 17, 2001, Al walked into the parking lot to retrieve a CD from his car stereo. A shooter emerged from the shadows and opened fire. Hit multiple times, Al stumbled back toward the gym before collapsing. He never made it home.
The Real Target
At first, investigators struggled to understand why Al—a man with no enemies, no debts, no criminal ties—would be executed in cold blood. The truth unraveled quickly: Al was never the intended victim.
The bullet-ridden body was meant to be Paul Riedel’s. Paul’s estranged wife, Lee Ann Riedel, had allegedly hired a hitman to kill her husband. The motive was classic true crime fuel—money, custody battles, and forbidden love.
Lee Ann was romantically involved with Ralph “Rocco” Salierno, a man with a reputation for shady dealings. Together, prosecutors argued, the pair conspired to rid themselves of Paul. But in the haze of the dimly lit parking lot, the triggerman mistook Al for Paul.
The Murder-for-Hire Plot
The conspiracy unraveled when investigators linked the shooter, Salierno, and Lee Ann through phone records and witness testimony. Another accomplice, Scott Paget, later admitted to helping orchestrate the hit.
It wasn’t just about jealousy. Lee Ann stood to gain financially if Paul were gone—custody of their child, relief from bitter divorce proceedings, and the promise of a new life with Rocco. But the plan was sloppily executed, leaving Alex Algeri in the crosshairs of someone else’s feud.
Justice Served
The courtroom drama that followed riveted Long Island. Jurors heard how Algeri’s death was the tragic result of a botched murder-for-hire.
Ralph “Rocco” Salierno was convicted and sentenced to life without parole.
Lee Ann Riedel was sentenced to 25 years to life for her role in the conspiracy.
Scott Paget pled guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a reduced sentence.
For Al’s family and friends, justice was bittersweet. They had answers—but no way to bring him back.
Legacy of a Mistake
What makes Al Algeri’s murder particularly haunting is its randomness. He wasn’t the one tangled in divorce or infidelity. He wasn’t the one fighting custody battles. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time—a man who trusted his friends and business partners, and who ended up paying with his life.
Amityville, already infamous for its haunted house, gained another dark chapter in its history. This time, it wasn’t ghosts or demons, but human greed, betrayal, and a tragic case of mistaken identity that left a community reeling.
Final Thoughts
As podcasters and storytellers, cases like Alex Algeri’s force us to confront the razor-thin line between ordinary life and extraordinary violence. One poor decision—born of lust and money—turned a young man’s future into a casualty.
Al should be remembered not as a victim of scandal, but as a loyal friend, a hardworking businessman, and a man who died because someone else wanted an easy way out.
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