POLITICO: Ulrich, the ex-NYC building commissioner, indicted by Bragg in sweeping corruption case

By JOE ANUTA, JEFF COLTIN and EMILY NGO

09/13/2023 03:13 PM EDT

NEW YORK — Former New York City Department of Buildings commissioner Eric Ulrich was charged Wednesday with exchanging access and official favors for $150,000 in cash and gifts that included a bespoke suit, discounted real estate, season tickets to the New York Mets and a painting by a Salvador Dalí apprentice.

He pleaded not guilty in Manhattan Criminal Court to all 16 counts of bribery, conspiracy and filing false financial information.

“At every possible turn, he allegedly used his taxpayer-funded positions as City Councilmember, then senior mayoral advisor, and finally Department of Buildings commissioner to line his pockets,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

Ulrich was among seven people charged in the wide-ranging investigation with the allegations spread across five separate indictments that detailed an elaborate bribery scheme.

The charges are more expansive than previous reporting has suggested. Ulrich is accused not only of misusing his authority as head of the city’s buildings department, but also his role as a one-time confidante to New York City Mayor Eric Adams and as a former member of the City Council, where he served as a Republican lawmaker representing Queens from 2009 through 2021.

“Ulrich was intercepted between November 4, 2021, and November 1, 2022, on an almost daily basis engaging in conduct antithetical to his oath of office,” Bragg wrote in a letter to the court released Wednesday.

Ulrich resigned from his post as buildings commissioner under Adams last November after his phone was seized by Bragg’s office.

Ulrich’s attorney, Sam Braverman, released a statement criticizing Bragg’s handling of the case.

“Throughout the process, Mr. Ulrich has maintained his innocence, and today’s proceedings do nothing to change that. His integrity remains intact,” he said. “When thousands of phone calls and documents are cherry picked and cut into small bits, and then viewed with eyes biased towards guilt, anyone can be made to look bad.

Ulrich and his co-defendants are due back in court Oct. 23.

The Democratic mayor is not implicated in the charges, but he is referenced throughout the documents, allegedly invoked at least twice by Ulrich when the defendant sought favors from other city workers for his associates.

A spokesperson for Adams said his staff adheres to the “strictest ethical guidelines.”

“And, while we do not discuss private conversations, to avoid speculation, the mayor has not received any requests from the Manhattan DA surrounding this matter and has never spoken to Mr. Ulrich about this investigation,” the spokesperson added.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, second from right, speaks during a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in New York about an indictment against former city building commissioner Eric Ulrich.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, second from right, speaks during a news conference on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in New York about an indictment against former city building commissioner Eric Ulrich. | Mary Altaffer/AP Photo

The indictments lay out quid-pro-quo schemes in which Ulrich steered city government resources toward a friend or acquaintance and then received money or gifts in exchange.

In particular, one indictment alleges Ulrich used his position to benefit brothers Joseph and Anthony Livreri, who own a Queens pizzeria, and Michael Mazzio, who owns a towing company, by expediting various inspections and violation remedies at businesses run or connected to the trio.

In exchange, prosecutors alleged that Ulrich received money he used at an illegal gaming club in Ozone Park, which was partially owned by Joseph Livreri, as well as a premium Mets season ticket package.

The Livreri brothers both pleaded not guilty on all counts. Their lawyer, Jake LaSala, did not immediately return a request for comment. Mazzio’s arraignment was postponed after his lawyer, James Froccaro, said his client was sick with Covid-19 and couldn’t come to court.

In another indictment, prosecutors accused Ulrich of using his position in the Adams administration to grant still more favors — along with pushing a beneficial zoning request — to help developer Mark Caller, chief executive of development firm Marcal Group.

In exchange, prosecutors alleged, Caller provided Ulrich with a discounted luxury beachfront apartment. Caller allegedly told Ulrich the asking price for the apartment in his Rockaway Park building was $705,000, but later dropped the price to $650,000 for Ulrich and included furniture, a parking space, additional storage, and window treatment at no extra cost.

Caller’s lawyers, Benjamin Brafman and Jacob Kaplan, released a statement saying that Caller didn’t commit any crime, “as Mr. Ulrich obtained an apartment in one of Mr. Caller’s buildings at a market rate,” adding that he did not know any of the other men mentioned in the indictment.

Former New York City's Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich, left, is sits at Supreme Court with his attorney, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in New York.

Former New York City's Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich, left, is sits at Supreme Court with his attorney, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in New York. | Mary Altaffer/AP Photo

Additionally, in yet another indictment, to assist Paul Grego — a filing representative with clients seeking decisions before the buildings department — Ulrich allegedly expedited decisions favorable to Grego’s clients, made personnel decisions at the agency on the advice of Grego and connected the private sector representative to other high-ranking figures at the agency.

In exchange, prosecutors alleged Grego bought Ulrich a bespoke suit and a painting by Francisco Poblet, whom Bragg described as “the last surviving apprentice of Salvador Dalí.”

Grego pleaded not guilty on all counts. His attorney Joseph Mure declined to comment further.

Another indictment alleges that Ulrich accepted money from a former correction officer named Victor Truta in exchange for approaching a city commissioner about hiring members of Truta’s family. Truta’s attorney Dennis Ring didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ulrich, who recently penned a children’s book, was spotted walking into the district attorney’s office Wednesday morning holding a copy of Bill O’Reilly’s book: “Killing Jesus: A History.”