Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Former NYC jails chief testifies about Adams adviser's push to hire friend’s daughter
By
Samantha Max
Published Nov 13, 2026 at 4:23 p.m. ET
Modified Nov 13, 2026 at 5:24 p.m. ET
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
By
Samantha Max
Published Nov 13, 2026 at 4:23 p.m. ET
Modified Nov 13, 2026 at 5:24 p.m. ET
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
When Eric Ulrich asked then-Department of Correction Commissioner Louis Molina to consider hiring his friend’s daughter for an open position in February 2022, Molina said he set up a meeting that same week.
Ulrich, then a senior adviser to Mayor Eric Adams, called Molina to recommend the daughter of his friend Michael Mazzio, according to a recording played in court on Friday. By the end of Molina’s one-on-one “exploratory conversation” with the recent college graduate, Mazzio’s daughter had a conditional job offer for an entry-level analyst position.
“She had the job if she wanted it,” Molina testified in court Friday.
Prosecutors have since accused Mazzio of bribing Ulrich with premium season tickets to the New York Mets in exchange for favors, including helping to secure the job for his daughter. A trial is ongoing in Manhattan against both men, who have pleaded not guilty.
Phone calls played in Manhattan court on Friday reveal new details about how Ulrich convinced Molina to interview Mazzio’s daughter and followed up to ensure the hiring process was moving along.
“Mazzio’s the priority,” Ulrich said in a recorded phone call played in court on Friday.
“You got it,” Molina replied.
Ulrich was the first member of Adams’ inner circle to face corruption charges — but not the last. The former City Council member served as an aide to the mayor, and later as his commissioner of the Department of Buildings.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office has accused Ulrich of using his power in the administration to benefit friends and associates who were willing to compensate him with cash and other perks. Mazzio was one of those friends, according to prosecutors. The DA’s office said Ulrich tried to use his influence to help Mazzio resolve licensing issues with a towing company he owns, in addition to helping his daughter get a city job.
In court on Friday, Molina said he didn’t know Mazzio. But the former jails commissioner said he always personally interviewed candidates when he received a referral directly from a member of the mayor’s staff — something that he said happened “six to 12” times during his approximately two years leading the department.
“To be clear, would you have interviewed Kristina Mazzio, but for the referral of Mr. Ulrich?” Assistant District Attorney Guy Tardanico asked Molina in court.
“No,” he replied.
In phone calls played in court for the first time on Friday, Ulrich repeatedly complimented Molina.
During one phone call shortly after Molina’s appointment, Ulrich said “the mayor could not have picked a better person” and referred to the new commissioner as “Johnny-on-the-spot,” according to a recording played in court.
Molina faced criticism throughout his tenure as Department of Correction commissioner. While he was overseeing Rikers Island, a federal monitor found that conditions in the jail complex were deteriorating. His first year as commissioner, 2022, was the deadliest year for New York City jails in a quarter of a century.
In an April 2022 call, Ulrich asked Molina about his recent experience being interviewed in the media. He encouraged the commissioner to tell his “own story” about the job he was doing.
“You can’t let them tell the story for you,” Ulrich said, according to a recording presented as evidence in court.
“Exactly,” Molina replied. “And then we’ve got these constant hit pieces.”
Molina testified that, although he did hire Kristina Mazzio daughter, he did not hire her as director of special projects — the position Ulrich initially recommended her for. The person in that role would be responsible for coordinating visits to Rikers Island for advocates and elected officials, and Molina said Mazzio’s daughter was not qualified.
Instead, he suggested that Kristina Mazzio consider a food service job or a policy analyst position. He testified that he suggested those roles after learning that she was interested in baking pastries and also seemed to have “solid administrative skills.”
“She told me she was interested in the policy analyst position,” Molina testified.
The former commissioner said he wasn’t aware of anyone else being interviewed for the job, which paid $50,000. After human resources vetted her, she was hired.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Tagged
Politics
new york city
public safety
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC, NJ airports grounded as part of nationwide shutdown, FAA says
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue.
By
Charles Lane
Published Nov 13, 2026 at 4:39 p.m. ET
Modified Nov 13, 2026 at 6:15 p.m. ET
Mamdani declines to back fellow New Yorker Schumer as Senate majority leader
Sen. Chuck Schumer also declined to endorse Mamdani for mayor after he won last year's Democratic primary.
By
Brigid Bergin
News
Mamdani declines to back fellow New Yorker Schumer as Senate majority leader
Sen. Chuck Schumer also declined to endorse Mamdani for mayor after he won last year's Democratic primary.
By
Brigid Bergin
Mayor Mamdani appoints ex-DSA chair as new NYC nightlife director
By
Elizabeth Kim
First Code Blue of the winter season arrives in New York City
By
Charles Lane
NYC schools to review hiring practices after teacher's aide accused of jogger murder
By
Jessica Gould
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .