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New York

Former DOB chief Eric Ulrich charged with corruption

DA alleges deal with Marcal Group’s Mark Caller for discounted apartment

Former Department of Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich (right) and The Marcal Group CEO Mark Caller
Former Department of Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich (right) and The Marcal Group CEO Mark Caller (Facebook, Getty; Illustration by The Real Deal)

Former Buildings commissioner Eric Ulrich has been charged with corruption in a case that may also result in charges for a Brooklyn developer.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Ulrich in a sealed indictment first reported by the New York Times. Bragg’s office declined to comment and did not confirm the indictment.

Ulrich resigned from Mayor Eric Adams’ administration in November after he was approached by investigators regarding a gambling investigation. Authorities seized his phone, though Ulrich wasn’t accused of any wrongdoing at the time.

Authorities are now alleging a deal with a Brooklyn developer and landlord at the center of the recent indictment.

Ulrich is accused of accepting a discounted apartment from Mark Caller, the founder and chief executive of the Marcal Group. 

His attorney told the New York Daily News he hadn’t seen the indictment, but was under the impression that Caller would also be charged. An attorney for Caller dismissed the accusation the developer committed bribery as “patently false.”

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Ulrich’s charges are also expected to include his alleged connection to illegal gambling and organized crime. 

The former DOB commissioner learned from the mayor he was under investigation in May 2022, around when he started his stint in the administration, the Daily News previously reported. The probe involves a pizzeria with mob ties that’s co-owned by a former Ulrich staffer during his time on City Council.

Ulrich was a senior adviser to Adams between January 2022 and the May appointment. He previously served a decade-long stint as a Republican on the City Council, representing southern Queens and serving on the Committee on Housing and Buildings.

Adams is not excused of any wrongdoing.

An entity tied to Caller’s development firm bought out a partner’s stake at a full-block site adjacent to Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx earlier this year. The move valued the three-property assemblage at $57 million, though it’s unclear if Marcal has any development plans for the site.

— Holden Walter-Warner

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CorruptionDepartment Of BuildingsEric AdamsEric UlrichGambling