NEW YORK — The bribery trial of Eric Ulrich, a former New York City buildings commissioner and close adviser to then-Mayor Eric Adams, began Monday in Manhattan, putting Adams’ administration back under scrutiny as prosecutors pursue a case against one of its former senior officials. Assistant District Attorney Guy Tardanico told jurors prosecutors would present wiretap recordings, surveillance footage and financial records to support their claim that Ulrich accepted bribes in return for carrying out government actions. “We’ll prove Ulrich’s motive was simple,” Tardanico said. “He needed the cash.” Ulrich’s defense attorney offered a different portrait: a dedicated public servant who tried to help people who came to him and would not have jeopardized the chance to serve in senior city roles. The defense is seeking to cast financial difficulties as a personal problem, not proof that Ulrich sold official influence. Ulrich had been a key strategist in Adams’ mayoral campaign and an adviser at City Hall before briefly leading the city Department of Buildings. His relationship with Adams is likely to draw attention as the case proceeds. Prosecutors’ allegations concern Ulrich; the information presented so far does not establish wrongdoing by Adams. The trial could be the first of several criminal cases involving people from Adams’ political circle, adding pressure on City Hall’s record of oversight and accountability. Prosecutors have outlined the kinds of evidence they intend to use, but the allegations remain to be tested in court.