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Former NYC buildings commissioner indicted on bribery charges
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 13, 2023
Modified Sep 14, 2023
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William Alatriste for the New York City Council
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 13, 2023
Modified Sep 14, 2023
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Mayor Eric Adams’ former buildings commissioner is accused of accepting $150,000 worth of bribes in cash and gifts in exchange for access to the mayor and city officials, fixing city permitting issues, and giving jobs to unqualified people, according to five separate grand jury indictments handed down Wednesday.
Eric Ulrich and his co-defendants pleaded not guilty in Manhattan’s State Supreme Court.
“Eric Ulrich, we allege, monetized each elected and appointed role that he held in New York City government, each and every one,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a press conference ahead of the arraignment.
When asked about the mayor’s role, Bragg only noted that his office received “strong cooperation” from “City Hall in terms of making folks available.”
In an emailed statement, Adams’ spokesperson Charles Lutvak said the mayor expects employees to follow strict ethical guidelines.
“The mayor has not received any requests from the Manhattan DA surrounding this matter and has never spoken to Mr. Ulrich about this investigation,” Lutvak wrote.
According to the indictments, Ulrich arranged two meetings with Adams and various other meetings and calls with city officials.
Ulrich’s co-defendants include:
- Brothers Joseph Livreri and Anthony Livreri, who sought help passing building and health inspections
- Michael Mazzio, who sought towing contracts and a job for his daughter
- Mark Caller, who sought zoning changes and help expediting various permits
- Paul Grego, who sought building permits
- Victor Truta, who sought jobs for family members
In exchange, the grand jury alleged Ulrich received gambling money, season tickets to the New York Mets, a discount on a beachfront apartment, a bespoke suit and a painting from Franscio Poblet, an apprentice to Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali.
Bragg said there were no public safety risks created through any of Ulrich’s alleged bribes.
In a statement sent by text, Ulrich’s lawyer, Sam Braverman, wrote, “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 had known about the pending indictment for days, or in the case of Ulrich, for nearly a year. They were brought into court through the district attorney’s office with their hands cuffed behind their backs. A sixth co-defendant, Michael Mazzio, tested positive for COVID-19, and was represented by his attorney and will be arraigned at a later date.
All were released after surrendering their passports and instructions to notify the court if they plan to leave the state for more than three days.
Ulrich, a Republican, was elected to the City Council in 2009 and served until 2021. He was then an aide to the mayor from January to April 2022 before becoming the city’s building commissioner.
Bragg said several employees within the building department resisted pressure to expedite inspections, but were reassigned to other positions by Ulrich.
The next court date was slated for Oct. 23 when Judge, Daniel P. Conviser will consider a motion to protect the contents of the thousands of wiretaps from disclosure.
This story has been updated to correct the name of City Hall spokesperson, Charles Lutvak.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
Politics
Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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