Grand jury weighing possible charges against former Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich: sources

A grand jury convened by the Manhattan District Attorney is hearing evidence involving former New York City Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich and possible ties to organized crime and financial misconduct, three sources with knowledge of the situation told the Daily News.

According to one of those sources, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s office reached out to Ulrich and his attorney two weeks ago with an invitation to testify — typically one of the final stages of a criminal probe before prosecutors ask grand jurors to vote on whether or not to indict.

Sam Braverman, Ulrich’s attorney, declined to comment when contacted by The News. The DA’s office declined to comment or confirm the investigation. It wasn’t clear how long the panel has been hearing evidence for, or whether Ulrich is the only or primary target of the probe.

Ulrich, a former Queens City Council member, resigned from his post as Department of Buildings commissioner last November just days after it became public he was facing an illegal gambling probe.

Mayor Adams appointed Ulrich, a Republican, as buildings’ honcho in May 2022.

The investigation into Ulrich became public after investigators from Bragg’s office served him with a search warrant outside his Queens home, questioned him and seized his cell phone.

The contours of that investigation were not entirely clear at the time, but sources confirmed that it involved gambling.

A year prior, Ulrich claimed lottery winnings of upwards of $50,000 on his annual financial disclosure form. During his time as a Council member, Ulrich also declared tens of thousands in other gambling winnings, records show.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.