Brooklyn developer Mark Caller, who is facing imminent indictment as part of a government corruption probe, traces his real estate career back to a vacancy-ridden building in New Jersey, where he was selling car alarms.
By Caller’s telling, in 1995 he bought the Irvington building, soliciting investors to scoop up its ailing mortgage and pay its delinquent property taxes.
More than two decades later, Caller was making mid-sized development deals in Bensonhurst, Rockaway Park and Pelham Bay. In testimonials on his website, Caller’s business associates describe him as “honorable” and “honest.” But now he finds himself caught up in a criminal case involving former Department of Buildings commissioner Eric Ulrich.
Among the allegations are that Ulrich was provided a discounted apartment by Caller while the developer’s firm, the Marcal Group, had business before Ulrich’s agency. The criminal indictment, which remains sealed, is expected to be announced in September, the New York Times reported.
Caller’s high-profile attorney, Benjamin Brafman, said that Ulrich paid market-rate rent for the apartment and that the transaction took place before Ulrich became commissioner.
Marcal ruffled feathers in Pelham Bay, the Bronx, in 2017 when it proposed a 10-story residential building at 3250 Westchester Avenue. The project never got off the ground, but Marcal cobbled together an assemblage there that includes 3651 and 3681 Bruckner Boulevard. It completed a 125,000-square-foot office building at 3651 Bruckner Boulevard in 2021 and bought out its partner at the site this year.
Marcal’s most notable project may be its ground-up development at 133 Beach 116th Street in Rockaway Park. Built in 2018, the building has 86 condo units that Caller hoped to sell for $59 million. Marcal has also put a development site at 150 Beach 116th Street on the market for $16 million.
The criminal case involving Ulrich and Caller is one of two that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is pursuing against individuals close to Mayor Eric Adams, who is not accused of illegalities. In the other, six people were charged with illegally funneling money to Adams’ mayoral campaign.
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