‘This one is from the boss’: Former DOC commissioner says Ulrich pushed him to hire co-defendant’s daughter

Former Department of Correction Commissioner testified about his decisions to get the daughter of Eric Ulrich’s co-defendant a job with the agency. Photo by Violet Mendelsund/Mayoral Photography Office

By Noah Powelson

The former head of the city’s Department of Correction said it was Eric Ulrich’s word that prompted him to quickly and personally hire the daughter of one of the former Queens lawmakers’ acquaintances, who is now on trial for bribery alongside Ulrich.

The fourth week of the trial against Ulrich, who is accused of taking bribes for years while he was a city councilmember and member of Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, ended with an appearance from the former commissioner of DOC, Louis Molina, on Friday.

Molina testified in Manhattan Criminal Court that the sole reason he interviewed and eventually hired the daughter of Michael Mazzio, Ulrich’s co-defendant, was because Ulrich used his position as a special advisor in the Adams administration.

In multiple recorded phone calls played in court on Friday, Ulrich was heard repeatedly telling Molina that Adams had direct interest in getting Mazzio’s daughter a job with the DOC, and that Mazzio was a “very close and very helpful guy to the mayor.”

Molina testified that shortly after he took over as DOC commissioner, the agency was actively recruiting for a senior management position with a $100,000 salary that involved giving tours of Rikers Island to the media and advocacy groups.

In a recorded phone call between Ulrich and Molina that took place on Feb. 2, 2022, Ulrich emphasized that getting Mazzio’s daughter a city job was a major priority. Ulrich sent Molina two names for potential candidates but emphasized that Mazzio’s daughter was the real focus.

"Her father's very close with the mayor,” Ulrich told Molina. “Mazzio's the priority...Definitely the priority.”

When Ulrich emailed Mazzio’s daughter’s resume to Molina, he included the message, “This one is from the boss.”

Molina acknowledged he took Ulrich’s words to heart, and quickly acted to speak with Mazzio’s daughter a few days later. But during the interview, Molina said it was clear she wasn’t ready for the position.

“She just didn’t have the requisite experience we needed,” Molina said.

Instead, Molina offered two entry-level positions, one of which was for a policy analyst job that came with a $20,000 raise compared with Mazzio’s daughter's previous job with the city’s Board of Elections. He instructed Mazzio’s daughter to contact him if she applied so that he could move her application along.

Molina also said in court he didn’t interview anyone else for the position, and Mazzio’s daughter essentially had his seal of approval for the gig if she applied.

“It was her job if she wanted it,” Molina said.

Molina also said he wouldn’t have offered her the job unless Ulrich had been involved. Molina also claimed he had never met the Mazzios, and had no idea what their relationship to Ulrich was.

Three months later, Mazzio’s daughter was hired by DOC.

While Molina said other members of the mayor’s cabinet pushed for jobs within the agency, prosecutors claimed that Mazzio’s case was different because he had been allegedly bribing Ulrich for years.

Mazzio is accused of offering Ulrich multiple bribes during his time as a councilmember and while he was in the Adams administration in exchange for favors.

In return, Ulrich allegedly resolved licensing issues with Mazzio’s company, Mike’s Heavy Duty Towing.

Mazzio’s attorney on Friday argued it was common practice for city agency leaders to prioritize candidate recommendations that came from City Hall or other agencies, and Molina would have been free to reverse his decision to hire Mazzio’s daughter if problems occurred down the road. His attorney also pointed out that when Molina shot down the application for the upper management position, Ulrich didn’t push back and agreed that she would be a better fit for something else.

Molina also testified on Friday that Mazzio’s daughter displayed good fundamental skills in administrative work during their interview, which led to his recommendation for the policy analyst gig.

Molina served as the DOC’s commissioner for just under two years under Adams. His tenure was defined by record-breaking deaths on Rikers Island, a rollback of transparency efforts and the beginnings of what was to become a multiyear unraveling of the city’s authority over its jails.

Ulrich is accused of taking thousands of dollars in bribes from various Queens businessmen with alleged mob connections while he served as a Queens City Council member and as the commissioner of the Department of Buildings.

Ulrich is scheduled to return to court on Monday, Nov. 16, when the DA’s office is expected to rest their case.