Ulrich charged in corruption case
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Former Queens City Councilmember Eric Ulrich was charged in a sweeping corruption case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. File photo by John McCarten
By Jacob Kaye
Former Queens City Councilmember Eric Ulrich, who also served for several months as a special advisor to the mayor and as the city’s Building’s Commissioner, accepted or solicited $150,000 in bribes over the course of several years and spanning several public offices, prosecutors alleged on Wednesday.
After months of anticipation, the charges against Ulrich, who represented parts of South Queens and the Rockaway peninsula in the City Council from 2009 through 2021, were unveiled in Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday.
The Queens pol, who served as commissioner of the Department of Buildings from May 2022 until his resignation prompted by the investigation in November 2022, was charged in five separate indictments, and was hit with charges related to bribery and conspiracy.
Also charged were six others, including several from Queens, who allegedly gave Ulrich cash to fund his gambling trips, artwork and season tickets to the New York Mets for favors.
“At every possible turn, [Ulrich] 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 during a press conference on the indictments Wednesday.
“When a public servant runs an agency that affects the lives of millions right here in the best city in the world, we must hold them to the highest standards – and certainly, we must hold them to the law,” he added.
The DA also accused Ulrich of “monetizing each elected and appointed role he held in New York City government.”
The indictment centers around several instances in which Ulrich allegedly used his influence to ask other city officials for favors on behalf of his friends, who in turn would give him gifts, according to the charges. Among those favors were the delaying of a bidding processes for a sanitation program, the resolving of an issue with a Department of Consumer and Workers Protection license, the coordination of inspections among a number of city agencies, pushing for certain appointments and pushing for city government employment for two of his co-defendants’ daughters.
Prosecutors say that between January 2021 and November 2022, the time in which Ulrich served as a special advisor to the mayor and as the city’s Building Commissioner, he used his position to help out Joseph Livreri, the partial owner of an illegal gambling club in Ozone Park known as the 89th Street Cafe, his brother Anthony Livreri and their friend Michael Mazzio.
According to the charges, Ulrich expedited a health inspection at the Livreri brothers’ restaurant, Aldo’s Pizza, after the pizza was closed because of a failed health inspection.
The brothers also called on Ulrich to help them remove a vacate order for Fortunato Brothers Bakery after the business was shut down by the city.
Additionally, the Livreri brothers allegedly asked Ulrich to put an end to licensing issues Massio was having with his towing company, Mike’s Heavy Duty Towing.
Ulrich also allegedly scored Mazzio’s daughter a job as a policy analyst with the Department of Correction, and invited the trio to a number of exclusive events and dinners where other other New York City government officials were.
The Livreri brothers and Mazzio gave Ulrich cash to be used at the 89th Street Cafe, as well as a $10,000 Mets season ticket package, Bragg said.
In a separate indictment, Bragg accused Ulrich of nabbing a “significantly discounted beachfront two-bedroom apartment” in a building owned by Mark Caller, the CEO of the Marcal Group, a real estate firm.
Prosecutors say that between December 2021 and November 2022, Ulrich, acting under the authority of the mayor’s office, worked to influence the New York City Department of Planning to secure a zoning change for a lot in Rockaway Park. The lot was being eyed by the Marcal Group as a place to construct a mixed-used building.
After Caller complained of low-income residents living next to the lot, Ulrich allegedly nudged the Department of Buildings and the Fire Department to conduct an inspection of the neighboring building.
Beginning in November 2021, Ulrich allegedly used his city positions to help out Paul Grego, a DOB filing representative.
According to the charges, Ulrich helped Grego get a temporary certificate of occupancy for the owners of a Ridgewood restaurant called Café Rum so they could secure a liquor license from the state.
In exchange, the DA said that Grego bought Ulrich a bespoke suit and gave him a painting by Francisco Poblet, an apprentice of Salvador Dali. Ulrich allegedly wanted the painted to give to his girlfriend as a gift.
Prosecutors also say that Ulrich took bribes from former correction officer Victor Truta to help Truta’s family members get jobs in the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
Sam Braverman, Ulrich’s attorney, denied the charges in a statement released late Wednesday afternoon and threw sand on the process of bringing the charges against the public official.
“The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office got what it wanted from the grand jury, a long list of charges against Mr. Ulrich,” Braverman said. We all know that the grand jury is not a two-party process, we don’t get to object to unreliable evidence or cross-examine the witnesses. The only evidence brought forth before it is the evidence of the district attorney choosing.”
“Throughout the process, Mr. Ulrich has maintained his innocence and today’s proceedings do nothing to change that,” Braverman added. “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. Mr. Ulrich unequivocally denies these charges and looks forward to his day in court where only the evidence matters, not charging documents or press releases.”
Ulrich began his career in public office in 2009, when he was elected at the age of 24 to represent District 32 in the city’s legislative body. He served in the seat until he was term-limited out of office at the end of last year.
The Republican joined the Adams administration to work as a special advisor to the mayor before being appointed to lead the Department of Buildings in May 2022. He resigned from the seat after the DA’s office seized his cell phone and searched his home in relation to their investigation in November 2022.
