Adams-era DOB Commissioner Ulrich Faces Trial for Corruption
Eric Adams’ former Department of Buildings commissioner and ex-Council member Eric Ulrich is having his day in court.
Monday was day one of his trial in State Supreme Court over charges that Ulrich took bribes to grease the wheels inside City Hall. Ulrich was hit with five separate indictments in 2023, alleging that he used his positions to personally benefit a group the DA’s office described as the “Aldo’s Crew,” named for the pizzeria they frequented in Ozone Park.
Ulrich’s defense team set out to show Monday that payments he received were strictly above board and didn’t amount to quid pro quo arrangements.
Attorneys from Manhattan District Attorney’s office sought to tie payments and perks Ulrich received — including Mets season tickets and cash for gambling — directly to expedited building and health inspections, along with other political favors.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for the facts and the evidence to come out, and for both sides of the story to be told,” Ulrich told The Real Deal.
The DA’s office described Ulrich’s conduct in its opening statement as a case of public power being used for private gain. Ulrich allegedly concealed the payments deliberately from his public disclosures, omitting the gifts and money he received as he expedited processes for pizzeria owners Joseph and Anthony Livreri and tow truck company owner Michael Mazzio, according to Assistant District Attorney Guy Tardanico. The Livreri brothers pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy charges last month, marking the first such pleas in a case that launched a string of corruption probes into top Adams administration officials.
“Recorded conversations will show that Ulrich even promised Joe Livreri a job at the Department of Sanitation so Livreri could exploit the position for his friends at Royal Waste, something even Ulrich admitted was like putting a fox in a henhouse,” Tardanico said, adding that former Adams administration officials will testify in the case, including another former DOB Commissioner Melanie La Rocca.
Livreri didn’t secure the sanitation role, but he was later put up for a role at the Economic Development Council and ultimately landed a part-time aide role in the City Council. Ulrich allegedly helped lift a vacate order, expedited a health and safety inspection and referred Mazzio’s daughter to a role in the Department of Corrections, collecting more than $150,000 in cash and gifts.
Ulrich’s defense, meanwhile, argued that Ulrich’s conduct was standard practice for a Council member helping out constituents in his district and that the payments he received had no impact on his actions as a lawmaker or as the Adams administration’s DOB head.
“He called agencies to find out where things stood, he pushed things toward a decision. It’s not a crime.” David J. Cohen, the attorney representing Ulrich, said.
Another one of the indictments, which named Marcal Group’s Mark Caller as a co-defendant alleging that he sold Ulrich a discounted apartment for help on a zoning change, was tossed earlier this year.
The trial is expected to last a month, according to a spokesperson for the DA’s office. Evidence from wiretaps and other surveillance of Ulrich is set to be heard as evidence during the trial.
Ulrich’s alcoholism and gambling were mentioned frequently by lawyers on both sides, providing a backdrop for the frequent payments he received to cover his habit at Resorts World Casino and at the Livreri-owned 89th Street Cafe where he regularly played cards and slot-style games.
“Eric Ulrich was a gambler, a gambler who borrowed money from nearly everyone who he knew,” Cohen said. “The evidence will show there are two separate truths about the same man and neither one is a crime … A young man who built his political career from nothing does not throw it away by accepting bribes, especially from his two closest friends at the time.”
What we’re thinking about: Is Ulrich’s case the bellwether for the other indictments swirling around Adams administration allies? Let me know at ben.miller@therealdeal.com.
A thing we’ve learned: The Knicks home opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday is officially the most expensive NBA season-opening game in history on the secondary ticket market, with the lowest price on StubHub coming in at $1,063, according to the New York Post. Good time to offer Karl-Anthony Towns the maximum to extend his contract and keep the champs together.
Elsewhere…
— The city brought RICO charges against personal injury law firm Asher & Associates on Monday, marking the first time the city has used federal racketeering statutes to crack down on staged accidents and injuries, Gothamist reported. City attorneys hope the suit acts as a warning to other firms filing phony or frivolous claims.
— The residential reimagining of a city-owned site at 100 Gold Street, which EDC tapped GFP Real Estate to redevelop, could be the densest apartment building in the country at 4,000 units across two towers, according to The City Reporter. The site is currently home to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and other agencies, along with a senior center. Council member Christopher Marte supported the 100 Gold redevelopment on the condition that the city not pursue a hotly contested plan to build affordable housing on the site of the Elizabeth Street Garden, which has been dropped.
— Federal authorities were investigating another top Adams administration official, Frank Carone, to see whether he took $600,000 in bribes from more than a dozen private companies, Politico reported, citing newly disclosed court filings.
Closing time
Residential: The most expensive residential sale recorded Monday was $9.7 million for 42 Wooster Street, 3SO. The Soho condo unit is 4,500 square feet. Sotheby’s International Realty’s Mark Mistovich, Daniela Sassoun, Karin Dauch and Pier DeMarco had the listing.
Commercial: The most expensive commercial transaction was $17.5 million for 2185 Coyle Street. The Sheepshead Bay building is classified as a one-story retail building with 30,000 square feet of gross floor area.
New to the Market: The highest price for a residential property hitting the market is $27 million for 25 Bond Street, Unit 5. The Noho condo is 6,500 square feet. Compass’ Marcy Grau and Ellen Cohen have the listing.
Breaking Ground: The largest new building permit filed was for a proposed 228,256-square-foot, 16-story, mixed-use building at 37-25 21st Street in Dutch Kills, Queens. Mark Ginsberg of Curts + Ginsberg Architects is the applicant of record.
— Joseph Jungermann
