The New York City Building Commissioner is being investigated for allegedly accumulating gambling debt while playing cards with members of the mafia – and thus possibly for awarding contracts as reimbursement, law enforcement sources told The Post on Tuesday.
Buildings Department head Eric Ulrich, a former city councilor, was served a search warrant by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office outside his Queens home in the morning, the sources said.
Investigators seized the documents during the search, the sources said.
Investigators are focusing on the gambling that Ulrich allegedly participated in in the back rooms of Ozone Park, Queens, apparently before joining Mayor Eric Adams’ administration this year.
Ulrich did not respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
Adams did not answer reporters’ questions when he arrived at City Hall on Tuesday afternoon.
“Our administration is not aware of any kind of investigation,” said Adams representative Fabien Levy. “If an investigation were to be conducted, we would expect everyone in this administration to cooperate fully.”
Ulrich, a Republican, served on the board from 2009 until his term was limited in late 2021. This year he first joined the Adams administration as a senior adviser to the mayor before being promoted this spring to his $ 243,171 per year concert as a curator.
While still a city councilor, Ulrich reported gambling winnings on his revelations on city ethics between $ 5,000 and $ 47,999 in 2016 and 2017. According to disclosures, he reported on New State lottery winnings. York in 2018, 2019 and 2010.
In 2021, Ulrich said in a Facebook post that he struggled with alcoholism and was trying to get sober.
“The COVID pandemic has affected people in different ways,” Ulrich said at the time. “What was once primarily a social activity, a way to cope with stress and a way to deal with it, has now become too frequent and counterproductive.”
-More reports from Nolan Hicks
